Cain Velazquez pleaded guilty to a 2022 attempted murder case.
The UFC champion pleaded not guilty to felony assault and firearm possession charges as part of a negotiated agreement with prosecutors, according to Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen.
The charges stem from an incident in which Velazquez allegedly fired shots at another vehicle during a high-speed pursuit, which also contained a man accused of sexually abusing Velazquez’s 4-year-old relative.
The man’s father-in-law was also in the car and was wounded in the shooting.
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Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez is in Mexico’s Gabriel Benitez’s corner during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on Jan. 13, 2024 in Las Vegas. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Velasquez, who retired from competitive mixed martial arts in 2019, was scheduled to go on trial in September. Rosen’s office said he could still face prison time.
But the not guilty plea means the premeditated murder charge against Velazquez will be dropped. Velazquez will no longer face a mandatory sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole.
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The man who allegedly sexually abused the boy is the adult son of the woman who ran the day care facility the boy attended.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez is in Gabriel Benitez’s corner during his featherweight bout against David Onama during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on February 19, 2022 in Las Vegas. (Jeff Botali/Zuffa LLC)
Rosen said the shooting scene put children and their parents at risk.
“This defendant decided to be judge, jury and executioner, and his actions endangered innocent bystanders, including young children and their parents, who could have been injured or killed when he shot his intended victims,” Rosen said in a statement.
“We have great law enforcement in this county. Let’s let them do their jobs.”
Cain Velasquez has his hands bandaged backstage at UFC Fight Night at Talking Stick Resort Arena on February 17, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Velazquez is accused of using a .40 caliber handgun to fire multiple rounds into a pickup truck, but the stepfather was not the target. The victim was shot in the arm and torso.
Velazquez was arrested in 2022 and released on bail while awaiting trial in November 2022. Accused sexual abuser Harry Gourarte is awaiting trial on child sexual abuse charges.
Velazquez’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 18th.
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Velasquez and his attorney, Rene Hessling, declined to comment after Friday’s court hearing, the Bay Area News Group reported.
Velasquez won his first UFC heavyweight championship by defeating Junior dos Santos in 2012. Velasquez successfully defended the title twice.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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