Cain Velasquez sentenced to five years in prison for 2022 shooting

Cain Velazquez is sentenced to five years in prison for shooting in 2022. Reproduction/Instagram

Former UFC heavyweight champion (up to 120,2 kg) Cain Velazquez was sentenced to five years in prison for the 2022 shooting. Velasquez's sentence was handed down by Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Arthur Bocanegra on Monday (24). The maximum time Velasquez could have served in prison was 40 years. According to the newspaper 'KRON4', Assistant District Attorney Aaron French asked the judge for a sentence of 30 years to life in prison. However, the judge decided on a five-year prison sentence for Velasquez for the shooting. The former champion pleaded no contest to attempted murder.

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Cain Velazquez was arrested in March 2022 when he shot a man who allegedly committed child sexual abuse against his son. However, he apparently missed the man, and his bullet hit the defendant's stepfather.

Velasquez was facing 10 charges, including attempted murder; shooting into an occupied motor vehicle or aircraft; three counts of assault with a firearm; three counts of assault with a deadly weapon; intentionally discharging a firearm from a vehicle and carrying a loaded firearm with intent to commit a felony. If found guilty of attempted murder, he faces a minimum of 20 years and up to life in prison, with additional time being added for the other charges if found guilty.

Velasquez says he should not have resorted to violence and that is why he accepted any sentencing decision.

“The way I handled things is not the way to do it. We can’t take the law into our own hands. I’ve already pleaded guilty. I know what I did, and I know what I did was very dangerous to other people. Not just the people involved, but innocent people. Whatever the court feels is right… I’m going to do it head on, and still be me,” Velasquez said on the podcast. 'Kyle Kingsbury'.

Velasquez had a record of 14 wins and three losses in his MMA career and last fought in February 2019, when he was knocked out by Francis Ngannou. The former UFC heavyweight champion has notable victories over Brock Lesnar, Junior dos Santos, Bigfoot Silva and Travis Browne, among others.