Cain Velasquez is on his way to jail.
At a hearing on Monday at the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice in San Jose, California, the former two-time UFC heavyweight champion was given a five-year sentence for attempted murder and other offenses, capping a three-year legal battle that has been repeatedly postponed.
Judge Arthur Bocanegra of the Santa Clara County Superior Court presided over the case. The verdict was first reported by NBC Bay Area on Monday.
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The 42-year-old Velasquez was charged with 10 felonies related to an 11-mile high-speed automobile pursuit with Harry Goularte in 2022. Goularte is accused of assaulting Velasquez’s 4-year-old son “multiple occasions.” During the pursuit, Velasquez fired multiple rounds through his window with a.40-caliber revolver into a car that was transporting Goularte, Goularte’s mother, and Goularte’s stepfather, Paul Bender. Bender was shot in the arm, but his injuries were not life-threatening. Before Monday’s sentencing, the court was shown further pictures of Goularte’s truck with bullet holes in it.
The ten accusations against Velasquez included carrying a loaded firearm with purpose to commit a felony, assault with a firearm, assault with a deadly weapon, shooting at a motor vehicle or aircraft, and attempted murder.
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Velasquez entered a no contest plea to all of the allegations against him. The defense aimed to secure time served and probation, while the prosecution sought a sentence of 30 years to life for Velasquez. According to local sources, Velasquez, his wife, and his 15-year-old daughter gave impact statements prior to Monday’s proceedings. Velasquez’s daughter begged the court to let the former UFC star attend her high school soccer matches. Also read were statements from the Goularte family and Harry Goularte.
“My father has consistently been my staunchest ally. I owe my strength as a person to my father. According to Velasquez’s daughter, “He has the biggest heart.”
Time served is part of Velasquez’s sentence. After the 2022 incident, the former champion was placed under house arrest with an ankle monitor for almost two years and spent about a year in jail.
Bocanegra was sad and “had tears in his eyes” when he gave Velasquez’s punishment, according to local news organization KRON4.
Goularte entered a not guilty plea to one allegation of engaging in indecent behavior with a juvenile and is currently awaiting his own trial date on June 2.
The Goularte family and their companies are the target of a different legal case brought by Velasquez’s relatives.
In a recent interview with former teammate Kyle Kingsbury’s podcast, Velasquez apologized for his behavior and said he would take whatever punishment that was imposed on him. Although Goularte’s mother operated the daycare where the alleged assault took place, Velasquez added that he had forgiven Goularte’s family for what transpired.
“I made a mistake,” Velasquez stated. “I recognize that. I made the payment and will make any more payments required to reimburse all of that. Although I doubt I will be able to repay it, I can always grow from my errors and assist others. You never really know somebody, that’s all. Have faith in your children. Communicate openly with your children.
However, my approach to the situation was not the best one. We cannot impose the law on ourselves.
One of the most accomplished heavyweights of his time is Velasquez (14-3). He first won the UFC heavyweight title in 2010 after knocking out Brock Lesnar in the first round. He then regained the title in 2012 after defeating Junior dos Santos in retaliation. Before losing to Fabricio Werdum in 2015, Velasquez, a gifted fighter whose career was plagued by injuries, successfully defended his title twice, defeating Antonio Silva and dos Santos in a trilogy. Before leaving MMA completely, Velasquez only engaged in two more fights, in 2016 and 2019.
Before being let go from his contract because of budget cuts during the early phases of the COVID-19 epidemic, Velasquez briefly pursued professional wrestling and even signed with WWE from 2019 to 20.
Velasquez and Javier Mendez, his longtime coach at San Jose’s American Kickboxing Academy, were supposed to manage Team Dubai for the Global Fight League’s inaugural season in 2025. The news on Monday clearly means that will no longer be the case.
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