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Former-UFC heavyweight champion, Cain Velasquez, pleaded no contest to attempted murder charges and assault in California after he shot a man who allegedly molested his four-year-old son.
The 42-year-old's plea means he will face a lighter sentence for the felony offenses brought before Judge Arthur Bocanegra at the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice relating to an incident from February 2022.
The plea means that the premeditated murder charge will be dropped, leaving Velasquez exempt from a mandatory life sentence behind bars ahead of a sentencing hearing on October 18 with a September 9 trial now cancelled.
Factors included in the sentencing hearing, with the actual sentence being delivered at a later date, are likely to relate to his lack of criminal history as well as the claims against his victim whilst considering the violence involved in the crime.
Velasquez became champion at UFC 121 and UFC 155 and won 14 out of 17 fights across his professional MMA career after he graduated from Arizona State University. He was known for his relentless forward advances and powerful, quick strikes whilst he was also known for his endurance.
What did Velasquez do?
Velasquez began a high-speed pursuit of a pick-up truck containing Harry Goularte, whom the ex-MMA star accused of molesting his four-year-old child at a day care center owned by Goularte's mother.
The chase, on February 11, 2022, lasted for 11 miles and ended when he managed to ram his own pick-up truck into the side of Goularte's vehicle before firing multiple gunshots that wounded Goularte's stepfather, Paul Bender whilst Goularte remained unharmed.
"This defendant decided to become judge, jury, and executioner," District Attorney Jeff Rosen said of Velasquez. "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. We have excellent law enforcement in this county. Let them do their jobs."