Cain Velasquez pleads no contest to attempted murder case, sentencing hearing set for October

Cain Velasquez entered a no-contest plea to attempted murder, assault and multiple weapons charges on Friday, moving the situation to the next stage, which begins in February 2022. The plea was entered at the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice in San Jose, California.

The charges stem from an incident in which Velasquez allegedly engaged in a high-speed car chase with a man he accused of molesting the former UFC heavyweight champion’s four-year-old son, and then fired multiple shots at the man’s vehicle, missing the intended victim and striking the man’s stepfather.

After being arrested, Velasquez was released from jail on $1 million bail that November.

The no-contest plea removed the charge of premeditation from the proceedings, a charge that would have carried a mandatory sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole. Velasquez is now eligible for a lighter sentence.

A sentencing hearing is now set for Oct. 18, though Velazquez’s actual sentencing will likely take place later in the year.

The intended victim, Harry Goulart, is awaiting his trial on a felony count of indecent act with a child related to the incident with Velasquez’s child.

Velasquez won the UFC heavyweight championship with a win over Junior dos Santos in December 2012 and successfully defended the title twice. His MMA career ended after a knockout loss to Francis Ngannou in 2019. He then began a brief professional wrestling career that included a match with Brock Lesnar in WWE.