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Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez sentenced to 5 years in prison for attempted murder

 

Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was sentenced Monday in California to five years in prison for attempted murder stemming from a 2022 shooting.

 

 

In 2022, Velasquez engaged in an 11-mile, high-speed car chase with Harry Goularte, who is accused of molesting Velasquez’s then 4-year-old son, in Morgan Hill, Calif. Velasquez fired multiple rounds into Goularte’s car, which also carried his mother and stepfather. Velasquez hit Goularte’s stepfather in the arm, resulting in non-life-threatening injuries.

 

Velasquez, 42, faced 10 felony charges Monday, including attempted murder, shooting at a motor vehicle or aircraft, willfully discharging a firearm from a vehicle, assault with a firearm, assault with a deadly weapon and carrying a loaded firearm with intent to commit a felony. He pleaded no contest to all charges.

 

Goularte has his own June trial date set after pleading not guilty to one felony charge of lewd acts with a minor. Goularte’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

 

Velasquez’s defense attorney, Renee Hessling, said in a statement to multiple outlets that the results of the hearing, which occurred at the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice in San Jose, were “bittersweet.”

 

“Throughout it all, Cain has shown courage and strength of character. He has taken responsibility for his actions and has been held accountable,” Hessling said in a statement, per multiple reports. “The sentence handed down today reflects the complexities of the situation and acknowledges the man behind the headlines.”

 

Santa Clara County district attorney Jeff Rosen also issued a written statement to multiple outlets, saying, “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. If you want to do justice in Santa Clara County, please apply for a badge.”

 

Velasquez, speaking to his former teammate Kyle Kingsbury about the situation on the March 14 episode of the “Kyle Kingsbury Podcast,” said “the way that I handled things, that was not the way to do it.”

 

“We cannot put the law in our own hands,” he said.

 

“I know what I did. And I know what I did was very dangerous to other people. … I’m willing to do anything I have to to pay back that. Whatever the court feels correct for what I have to do, I’m gonna do it with my head up and still be me and not play the blame game. It was me that did that and reacted in that way.”

 

Velasquez’s five-year sentence includes time served: He spent nearly a year in prison following the shooting and nearly two years on house arrest with an ankle monitor.

 

While speaking about the alleged molestation of his son, Velasquez said, “We got to speak to our kids.”

 

“I know we don’t want to bring that in to our kids at a young age, but we have to be open and honest,” he said. “No. 1 is to be open and honest about what is appropriate and what is not.”

 

Velasquez added he “can’t have hate” for the Goularte family, because “there (are) things I have to move on to and give love to my kids and give love to the people around.”

 

“I wish them healing,” Velasquez said of the Goularte family, adding that his son is doing well and “this will not define him.”

 

Velasquez is a two-time UFC heavyweight champion, earning the titles in 2010 and 2012. One of the most legendary heavyweights of his era, Velasquez reached many more championships, though he battled injuries throughout his career. He retired from MMA in 2019 and briefly turned to professional wrestling, signing with WWE for 2019-2020. He was released from his deal shortly thereafter due to budget cuts made during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.