Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was sentenced to five years in prison Monday for a shooting that took place in February 2022.
Velasquez, who has been out of jail since November 2022 and on house arrest, received credit for 1,283 days of time served.
He was sentenced in Santa Clara County court in San Jose, California.
He had pleaded no contest to felony attempted murder, assault and weapons charges in August. The charges stemmed from an incident in which Velasquez chased after and repeatedly shot at the vehicle of a man accused of molesting his son. The man's father, who was with him in the vehicle, was shot and injured during the incident.
"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," Renee M. Hessling, an attorney for Velasquez, said in a statement. "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, 42, publicly took responsibility for his actions in a rare interview released recently.
"From what I can say as far as myself, the way that I handled things was not the way to do it," Velasquez said on his former teammate Kyle Kingsbury's podcast. "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."
Velasquez was accused of shooting at a pickup truck carrying Harry Goularte -- the man accused of molesting his then-4-year-old-son at a day care facility owned by Goularte's mother -- during an 11-mile car chase on the afternoon of Feb. 28, 2022. Goularte was being driven by his stepfather, Paul Bender, as they traveled from Morgan Hill to San Jose. Velasquez reportedly fired multiple rounds at the vehicle with a .40-caliber handgun, missing his intended target and striking Bender in the arm and torso. Velasquez was arrested without incident following the chase.
Goularte is set for criminal trial June 2 on one felony charge of lewd acts with a minor. He has pleaded not guilty.
Velasquez won the UFC's undisputed heavyweight championship by knocking out Brock Lesnar in October 2010. He went on to many more championship appearances, although injuries prevented him from being as active as he likely otherwise would have been down the stretch of his career. He retired in 2019.
In 2022, following his arrest, the UFC offered its public support behind Velasquez, including a letter from CEO Dana White submitted to the court during his case, which described the defendant as a "model example of how a professional athlete should carry himself."