Cain Velasquez entered a plea in his 2022 attempted murder case.
According to Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen, the UFC champion pleaded no contest to felony assault and gun charges as part of a negotiated agreement with the prosecutor’s office.
The charges stem from an incident when Velasquez allegedly shot at another vehicle during a high-speed chase. A man accused of molesting a 4-year-old relative of Velasquez was inside the other vehicle at the time.
The man’s stepfather was also inside the car, and he was wounded by gunshots.
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Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez in the corner of Gabriel Benitez of Mexico during a UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX Jan. 13, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Velasquez, who stepped away from competitive mixed martial arts in 2019, was scheduled to go on trial in September. He still faces prison time, Rosen’s office said.
But the no contest plea means premeditated murder charges against Velasquez will be dropped. Velasquez will no longer face a mandatory sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole.
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The man accused of molesting the boy is the adult son of a woman who operated a day care attended by the child.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez in the corner of Gabriel Benitez during his featherweight fight against David Onama during a UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX Feb. 19, 2022, in Las Vegas. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Rosen said the location of the shooting put children and their parents at risk.
“This defendant decided to become judge, jury and executioner. His actions endangered innocent bystanders, including young children and their parents, who could have been injured or killed as he shot at his intended victim,” Rosen said in a statement.
“We have excellent law enforcement in this county. Let them do their jobs.”
Cain Velasquez has his hands wrapped backstage during a UFC Fight Night event at Talking Stick Resort Arena Feb. 17, 2019 ,in Phoenix, Ariz. (Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Velasquez is suspected of using a .40-caliber handgun to fire multiple rounds at the pickup truck, but the stepfather is not believed to have been the intended target. The victim was struck in the arm and torso.
Velasquez was arrested in 2022 and released from jail in November 2022 after posting bail as he awaited trial. Harry Goularte, the man accused of sexual abuse, continues awaiting trial on child molestation charges.
Velasquez’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 18.
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Velasquez and his attorney, Renee Hessling, declined comment after a Friday court hearing, the Bay Area News Group reported.
Velasquez earned his first UFC heavyweight championship in 2012 by defeating Junior dos Santos. Velasquez successfully defended his title twice.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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