Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez pleaded guilty to attempted murder and assault charges in California on Friday.
The 42-year-old was facing trial for attempted murder after allegedly shooting a man accused of sexually abusing his then four-year-old son after a high-speed chase in February 2022.
Velasquez, a two-time UFC champion, entered his no-contest plea before Judge Arthur Bocanegra at the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice in San Jose, California, in exchange for a lighter sentence.
As a result, the premeditated murder charges against him will be dropped, meaning he will no longer face a mandatory sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole.
“This defendant chose to make himself judge, jury and executioner. His actions endangered innocent bystanders, including young children and their parents, who could have been injured or killed when he shot his intended victim,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “We have excellent law enforcement in this county. Let them do their job.”
UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez has pleaded guilty to attempted murder charges
His trial was set to begin on Sept. 9, according to the Mercury News, but following his guilty plea, a sentencing hearing has been set for Oct. 18. The actual sentence is expected to be handed down at a later date.
The sentencing recommendation provided by the country’s probation department will weigh the severity of the incident against Velasquez’s lack of criminal record and the sexual abuse case against Goularte, according to ESPN.
Velasquez was arrested after reportedly chasing a pickup truck carrying Harry Goularte, who is accused of sexually abusing the boxer’s then-four-year-old son at a daycare center owned by Goularte’s mother.
He is said to have rammed the vehicle with his own pickup truck during an 11-mile (18-kilometer) high-speed chase on February 28, 2022.
Velasquez allegedly fired a .40-caliber handgun several times at the vehicle, missing the target and wounding Goularte’s stepfather, Paul Bender, who was driving. Goularte’s mother, Patricia, was also in the vehicle.
He was arrested without incident following the car chase and was released from jail in November 2022 on $1 million bail while awaiting trial.
Velasquez (left) chased and fired several shots at a vehicle carrying Harry Goularte (right), who is accused of sexually assaulting the boxer’s then four-year-old son.
Velasquez was released from jail in November 2022 on $1 million bail while he awaits trial.
Goularte continues to face child abuse charges. He pleaded not guilty in June 2022.
In February, Velasquez’s son told police that Goularte had taken him to the bathroom of a Patty daycare center in downtown San Martin, a 34-minute drive south of San Jose, where he then proceeded to abuse him by touching his genitals, according to court documents.
The minor also said that Goularte had asked him not to tell anyone what had happened and that this situation could have happened “100 times.”
The boy also reportedly told police that Goularte was also seen going to the bathroom with other children. He has already been charged with a felony count of lewd and lascivious act for child abuse, according to TMZ.