Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was sentenced to five years in prison on Monday for a shooting incident that occurred in February 2022. The sentencing took place in Santa Clara County court in San Jose, California. Velasquez, aged 42, had previously pleaded no contest to felony charges including attempted murder, assault, and weapons violations in August.
The charges against Velasquez arose from a dramatic incident where he pursued and repeatedly fired at the vehicle of a man accused of molesting his young son. The targeted individual, Harry Goularte, was allegedly involved in the abuse of Velasquez’s then-four-year-old son at a daycare facility owned by Goularte's mother. During the shooting, Goularte's father, Paul Bender, was injured when Velasquez mistakenly struck him while firing multiple rounds from a .40-caliber handgun.
The dangerous confrontation unfolded during an 11-mile car chase on February 28, 2022. Velasquez was reported to have pursued Goularte's vehicle from Morgan Hill to San Jose, where he fired several shots in an attempt to reach his target. Following the chase, Velasquez was arrested without incident.
Since his arrest, Velasquez has been out on bail, having been released in November 2022. In a rare interview released recently, he publicly accepted responsibility for his actions, stating, "The way that I handled things was not the way to do it." During the interview on his former teammate Kyle Kingsbury's podcast, Velasquez emphasized the importance of not taking the law into one's own hands, acknowledging the potential danger his actions posed not only to those involved but also to innocent bystanders.
The man at the center of this case, Harry Goularte, is scheduled for a criminal trial on June 2, facing one felony charge of lewd acts with a minor. Goularte has pleaded not guilty to the allegations against him.
Cain Velasquez is well-known in the world of mixed martial arts, having claimed the UFC heavyweight championship by defeating Brock Lesnar in October 2010. Despite a successful career marked by multiple championship appearances, injuries hindered his ability to compete as frequently as he might have preferred. Velasquez officially retired from professional fighting in 2019.
Following his arrest, the UFC publicly expressed support for Velasquez, with UFC CEO Dana White submitting a letter to the court that praised Velasquez as a model example of how a professional athlete should behave.
As this case continues to unfold, it raises complex questions about justice, personal responsibility, and the lengths to which a parent might go to protect their child.
