Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was sentenced to five years in prison Monday over a 2022 shooting where he chased and fired at a man accused of molesting his young son.
The 42-year-old fighter appeared in Santa Clara County court in San Jose, California, where he received credit for 1,283 days of time served. Velasquez had been out of jail on house arrest since November 2022.
Last August, Velasquez pleaded no contest to attempted murder, felony assault, and weapons charges for what the district attorney’s office described as a “vigilante shooting spree.”
The charges stemmed from a February 28, 2022 incident where Velasquez fired multiple rounds from a .40-caliber handgun at a pickup truck during an 11-mile chase through Santa Clara County. The truck was carrying Harry Goularte, 46, who had been arrested less than a week earlier in connection with the sexual assault of Velasquez’s then-4-year-old son at a daycare owned by Goularte’s family.
While Goularte was uninjured in the shooting, his stepfather, Paul Bender, who was driving the vehicle, was shot twice in the arm and torso. According to officials, Goularte had been released without bail and was on his way to retrieve an electronic monitoring bracelet when Velasquez attacked.
“One man’s decision to take the law into his own hands left an innocent man wounded and endangered schoolchildren, teachers, and many others in our community,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “If you want to do justice in Santa Clara County, please apply for a badge.”
Renee Hessling, Velasquez’s defense attorney, called Monday’s sentencing “bittersweet” as they had hoped to keep the former champion out of prison.
“Today’s results are bittersweet — we had hoped Mr. Velasquez would remain out of jail. However, the facts remain clear: Cain Velasquez is a good man, a devoted father, and a respected member of the community,” Hessling said in a statement. “What he and his family have endured has been nothing short of a living nightmare — one they did not deserve.”
“Throughout it all, Cain has shown courage and strength of character,” she added. “He has taken responsibility for his actions and has been held accountable. The sentence handed down today reflects the complexities of the situation and acknowledges the man behind the headlines.”
Velasquez has publicly acknowledged his wrongdoing. In a recent interview on former teammate Kyle Kingsbury’s podcast, he expressed regret for his actions.
“From what I can say as far as myself, the way that I handled things was not the way to do it,” Velasquez said. “We cannot put the law in our own hands. I know what I did, and I know what I did was very dangerous to other people, you know? Not just to people involved, but innocent people. I understand what I did and I’m willing to do everything I have to, to pay that back.”
Velasquez is currently suing Goularte and his family’s daycare for negligence and sexual battery. Meanwhile, Goularte has pleaded not guilty to one felony charge of lewd acts with a minor and is scheduled for criminal trial on June 2.
The UFC has stood behind Velasquez throughout his legal troubles. UFC CEO Dana White submitted a letter to the court during his case, describing Velasquez as a “model example of how a professional athlete should carry himself.”
Velasquez first won the UFC’s undisputed heavyweight championship by knocking out Brock Lesnar in October 2010. Despite being plagued by injuries throughout his career, he made multiple championship appearances before retiring from the sport in 2019.