UFC legend sentenced to prison for attempted murder of man accused of child abuse

UFC legend Cain Velazquez has been sentenced to five years in prison for a 2022 shooting where he chased down a man accused of molesting his son.

Velasquez, 42, was sentenced after he pled no contest to attempted murder, felony assault and gun charges last year. His sentence will be reduced by time served having been under house arrest since November 2022 which will cut his time behind bars to a year.

In February 2022, the two-time UFC heavyweight champion drove his truck at speeds over 100mph in pursuit of another vehicle carrying three people including Harry Goularte, firing a handgun multiple times through his own windshield.

A week before the shooting, Goularte, 46, was arrested in connection to the sexual assault of a four-year-old at a day care facility owned by the family.

During the 11-mile pursuit, Velazquez fired shots at the vehicle, hitting Goularte’s step-father Paul Bender in the arm.

Velazquez was arrested at the scene shortly after.

Goularte meanwhile is set for criminal trial 2 June on one felony charge of lewd acts with a minor. He has pleaded not guilty.

Local news reports claim Judge Arthur Bocanegra became emotionally choked up as he announced the sentence, noting that ‘punishment comes in many ways, and one of the worst is forcing a father to not be present in his child’s life’

‘This is a tragic case. Mr. Velasquez is not a danger to public safety,’ Bocanegra said.

In a statement released shortly after the verdict, Renee M. Hessling, an attorney for Velasquez said: ‘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.

‘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.

‘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. When he is released, he will continue to lead by example — protecting, contributing, and caring for the people around him.’

Velasquez recently appeared on former teammate Kyle Kingsbury’s podcast, where he took full responsibility for the actions of February 2022.

‘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 people involved, but innocent people. I understand what I did and I’m willing to do everything I have to [do] to pay that back.’

Velazquez twice reigned as UFC heavyweight champion, beating Brock Lesnar in 2010 before reclaiming the bet two years later over Junior dos Santos. His last UFC fight came in February 2019, suffering a knockout defeat to Francis Ngannou.

The fighter also had a brief spell in WWE in 2019, reigniting his feud with Lesnar.

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