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Former UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez sentenced to 5 years for shooting

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209life

209life

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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 21: Cain Velasquez appears for his arraignment at the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice on Monday, Nov. 21, 2022, in San Jose, Calif. Velasquez, the former UFC champion based out of San Jose, was charged with shooting at a man accused of molesting his child. (Photo by Dai Sugano/Pool Photo/MediaNews Group/Bay Area News Group via Getty Images)

Former UFC champion Cain Velasquez received his sentencing Monday in San Jose court. (Dai Sugano/Pool Photo/MediaNews Group/Bay Area News Group via Getty Images)
Cain Velasquez is heading to prison. The former two-time UFC heavyweight champion was sentenced to five years for attempted murder and other charges at a hearing Monday at the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice in San Jose, ending a three-year saga that has been repeatedly delayed in the courts.

Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Arthur Bocanegra oversaw the case. NBC Bay Area first reported the verdict Monday.

Velasquez, 42, faced 10 felony charges stemming from a 2022 incident in which he engaged in an 11-mile high-speed car chase with Harry Goularte, who is accused of molesting Velasquez's then 4-year-old son on “multiple occasions." Velasquez fired several shots from a .40-caliber handgun during the chase into a car carrying Goularte, Goularte's mother and Goularte’s stepfather Paul Bender, resulting in non-life threatening injuries to Bender due to a gunshot wound to his arm.

Those 10 charges ranged from attempted murder, shooting at a motor vehicle or aircraft, assault with a firearm, assault with a deadly weapon, willfully discharging a firearm from a vehicle and carrying a loaded firearm with intent to commit a felony.

Velasquez pleaded no contest to all charges related to his case. Prosecutors sought a sentence of 30 years to life for Velasquez, while the defense hoped to attain time served and probation. Impact statements from Velasquez, his wife and his 15-year-old daughter were delivered before Monday's proceedings, according to local reports, as were statements from Harry Goularte and the Goularte family.

Velasquez's sentence includes time served. The former champ spent nearly one year incarcerated following the 2022 incident.

Goularte currently awaits his own June 2 trial date after pleading not guilty to one charge of lewd acts with a minor.

Velasquez's family has filed a separate civil lawsuit against the Goularte family and their businesses.

Speaking recently on the podcast of former teammate Kyle Kingsbury, Velasquez expressed remorse for his actions and accepted whatever punishment came his way. Velasquez also said he has forgiven Goularte’s family for what happened; Goularte’s mother ran the daycare where the alleged molestation happened.

“What I did was not correct," Velasquez said. “I understand that. I paid and I’ll pay whatever else as far as what I have to do to pay all that back. I don’t think I can pay that back, but I can always learn from my mistakes and help others. It’s just information that you never know anybody. Trust your kids. Have that open communication with your kids.

“[But] the way that I handled things was not the way to do it. We cannot put the law in our own hands."

Velasquez (14-3) is one of the most decorated heavyweights of his era. He first captured the UFC heavyweight title in 2010 with a first-round knockout of Brock Lesnar, then won the belt back again in 2012 with a revenge win over Junior dos Santos. A prodigious talent whose career was perennially snakebitten by injuries, Velasquez defended his championship twice with wins over Antonio Silva and in a trilogy bout against dos Santos, before suffering a 2015 loss to Fabricio Werdum. Velasquez only fought twice more — once in 2016 and once in 2019 — before stepping away from MMA entirely.

Velasquez then briefly pursued professional wrestling and even signed with WWE from 2019-20 before being released from his deal due to financial cuts during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Velasquez was expected to serve as the manager of Team Dubai for the Global Fight League's debut season in 2025, alongside his longtime coach at San Jose's American Kickboxing Academy, Javier Mendez. That obviously will no longer happen in light of Monday's news.
 

Tanko

Tanko

Joined
Oct 27, 2021
Messages
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He will be out in 18 months - tops. Already got a years credit.

And treated like a king during his time in there - by inmates and CO alike.
Hopefully, Goularte gets some real prison time.
I know they do not look fondly upon child abusers. He should get his just rewards while serving his time.
 

BigJay

BigJay

Joined
Oct 28, 2021
Messages
17,003
Stupid question likely here but can a president only pardon Federal crimes?

Would Newsome be the the one that had to pardon him?

Or could Trump??
 

Tanko

Tanko

Joined
Oct 27, 2021
Messages
48,862
Stupid question likely here but can a president only pardon Federal crimes?

Would Newsome be the the one that had to pardon him?

Or could Trump??
Good point.
And the answer is yes... Prez can only do federal crimes.
It this is state crime, Newsom is on the hook.

I doubt he'd pardon him.... It would make it look like vigilantism is OK to some degree.
I my opinion, it somewhat is in this case.

Maybe he can commute the sentence.
 

BigJay

BigJay

Joined
Oct 28, 2021
Messages
17,003
Good point.
And the answer is yes... Prez can only do federal crimes.
It this is state crime, Newsom is on the hook.

I doubt he'd pardon him.... It would make it look like vigilantism is OK to some degree.
I my opinion, it somewhat is in this case.

Maybe he can commute the sentence.
Sadly that’s what I thought. Seems like something Trump might go because he doesn’t care what people think when he pulls the trigger on something like this and it was play very well with his base

Highly doubt Newsom would do anything
 
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