Cain Velasquez, the former UFC Heavyweight Champion and one-time WWE competitor, has been sentenced to five years in prison following a high-profile attempted murder case.
Velasquez’s rivalry with Brock Lesnar is one of the biggest in MMA and WWE history. At UFC 121, he defeated Lesnar to win the UFC Heavyweight title, making his mark in combat sports. Years later, they fought again at WWE Crown Jewel 2019, where Lesnar won.
But now, shocking news has rocked the MMA and wrestling world around Cain Velasquez. He received a sentence of five years in prison and four years of supervised probation on March 24. However, he won’t serve the full five years, as his time already served counts toward the sentence, with his arrest taking place in February 2022.
Former UFC champion Cain Velasquez has been sentenced to 5 years in prison for attempted m*rder after firing a g*n at a man who allegedly molested his son over 100 times at a daycare pic.twitter.com/DSj8qTDi1F
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) March 24, 2025
The case began when Velasquez chased a vehicle carrying Harry Goularte, a man accused of abusing his young son. During the chase, Velasquez fired multiple shots, hitting Goularte’s stepfather.
Though Goularte was unharmed, the MMA star was charged with attempted murder and gun-related crimes. He entered a plea of no contest, accepting full responsibility for his actions.
Cain Velasquez shares his thoughts on shooting before sentencing
Three years after his arrest, Cain Velasquez admitted that chasing and firing at Harry Goularte, the man accused of hurting his son, was not the right choice. In an interview with former teammate Kyle Kingsbury on the Kyle Kingsbury Podcast, Cain said he should not have taken the law into his own hands.
He explained, “We cannot put the law in our own hands. … I’ve already pled guilty… I know what I did was very dangerous to other people, you know? Not just people involved, but to innocent people. I understand what I did and I’m willing to do everything I have to (in order) to pay that back.”
