UFC Champion Freed After Attacking Son’s Alleged Abuser, Emotional Family Reunition [WATCH]

Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez reunited with his family Sunday after being released on parole from a California state prison, less than a year into a five-year sentence stemming from a 2022 shooting incident, as reported by The New York Post.

Velasquez, 43, was credited with 1,283 days served, including time in county jail prior to sentencing and time spent on house arrest before his 2024 trial. His agent, Mike Fonseca, confirmed the release to ESPN.

An emotional video posted on Instagram by @mariachi_jalisciense1 showed Velasquez arriving in a van before being greeted by his family.

A mariachi band played as his young son and daughter ran toward him and jumped into his arms.

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Velasquez was sentenced in March 2025 after pleading no contest to felony attempted murder, assault, and weapons charges.

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The case stemmed from a February 2022 incident in which he engaged in an 11-mile high-speed chase and fired at a vehicle carrying daycare worker Harry Goularte.

Goularte has been charged with sexually abusing Velasquez’s four-year-old son and has pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of lewd acts with a minor.

During the chase, Goularte’s 63-year-old father, who was also in the vehicle, was shot and injured.

Velasquez had been on house arrest since November 2022 before entering his plea. Prosecutors had indicated he could face a sentence of 30 years to life in prison, but he reached a deal that resulted in the five-year term.

Prior to beginning his sentence, Velasquez addressed the incident during an appearance on the Kyle Kingsbury podcast. He acknowledged that his actions were “very dangerous” to those involved and “innocent people.”

“I understand what I did, and I’m willing to do everything I have to pay that back,” Velasquez said.

He also stated that he had forgiven the Goularte family.

“Even with that family and what they’ve done, I can’t have hate like that for them,” he said. “Because there are things that I have to move on to and give love to my kids and give love to the people around.”

In addition to the criminal proceedings, Velasquez has filed a related civil lawsuit, according to ESPN.

Velasquez competed in the UFC from 2008 to 2019 and was widely regarded as one of the top heavyweights of his era.

He first won the heavyweight title in 2010 by defeating Brock Lesnar and regained the belt in 2012 with a victory over Junior dos Santos. He finished his mixed martial arts career with a 14-3 record.

After retiring from MMA in 2019, Velasquez transitioned to professional wrestling with Mexican promotion Lucha Libre AAA.

He later signed a multimillion-dollar deal with WWE but was released in 2020 amid pandemic-related budget cuts.

Velasquez’s release marks the next chapter in a case that drew national attention, blending the world of professional sports with a high-profile criminal prosecution in California.

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