UFC legend Cain Velasquez released from prison following controversial 2022 shooting
Cain Velasquez is a free man. The former two-time UFC heavyweight champion was released from prison on Sunday after spending the past 11 months behind bars following a controversial shooting conviction in 2022.
Velasquez, 43, was sentenced to five years in a San Jose, California, prison on March 24, 2025, after being found guilty of attempted murder and other charges, ending a three-year saga that was repeatedly delayed in the courts and sparked widespread outrage in the mixed martial arts community. Velasquez’s sentence included time spent in prison; The former champion spent nearly a year in jail following the incident in 2022 and was under house arrest with an ankle monitor for nearly two years.
Velasquez initially faced 10 felony charges after being involved in an 11-mile high-speed car chase with Harry Goularte, who was accused of molesting his then-4-year-old son “on multiple occasions.” During the chase, Velasquez fired several shots through the windshield of a .40-caliber handgun at a car carrying Goularte’s mother and Goularte’s stepfather, Paul Bender, resulting in non-life-threatening injuries to Bender due to a gunshot wound to his arm.
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The 10 charges against Velasquez include attempted murder, shooting at a motor vehicle or aircraft, assault with a firearm, assault with a deadly weapon, knowingly discharging a firearm from a vehicle and carrying a loaded firearm with intent to commit a felony. Velasquez pleaded no contest to all charges.
Goularte is currently awaiting a March 9 start date for his own trial after pleading not guilty to lewd acts against a minor.
Velasquez’s family filed a separate civil lawsuit against the Goularte family and their businesses.
Before being imprisoned, Velasquez expressed remorse for his actions and accepted any punishment that might come his way. Velasquez also said he forgave Goularte’s family for what happened; Goularte’s mother ran the day care where the alleged abuse took place.
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“What I did was not right,” Velasquez said. “I understand that. I have and will pay whatever it takes to repay all of this. I don’t think I can pay it back, but I can always learn from my mistakes and help others. This is just a statement that you don’t know anyone. Trust your children. Communicate openly with your children.
“[But] The way I was doing things was not the way to do it. “We cannot leave the law in our own hands.”
Velasquez (14-3) is one of the most decorated heavyweights of his era. He first captured the UFC heavyweight title in 2010 by knocking out Brock Lesnar in the first round, then regained the belt with a revenge victory over Junior dos Santos in 2012. A prodigious talent whose career has always been plagued by injuries, Velasquez defended his title twice in the trilogy with a win over Antonio Silva and against dos Santos before losing to Fabricio Werdum in 2015. Velasquez only fought twice (once in 2016, once in 2019) before leaving MMA for good.
Velasquez later briefly pursued professional wrestling and even signed a contract with WWE from 2019-20 before being cut from the deal due to financial disruptions during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
