Cain Velasquez Released on Parole
Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was released on parole on February 15 after serving 11 months in prison for a 2022 shooting incident. Velasquez was originally sentenced to five years in March 2025 after pleading no contest but reunited with his family following the parole decision. Former teammates Daniel Cormier and Khabib Nurmagomedov expressed heartfelt support for Velasquez's release.
- The 2022 incident involved a high-speed chase spanning approximately 11 miles through three Silicon Valley cities, during which Cain Velasquez rammed a truck carrying Harry Goularte Jr. - Goularte, the man Velasquez targeted, was accused of molesting Velasquez's 4-year-old son at a daycare run by Goularte's mother. - The person struck by Velasquez's gunfire was not Goularte, but his stepfather, Paul Bender, who was driving the vehicle and was hit in the arm and torso. - The shooting took place near a school that was letting out for the day, which prosecutors noted endangered children and parents. - As part of his parole, Velasquez is subject to a 10-year protective order preventing contact with the victims and is prohibited from ever owning a firearm again. - The man Velasquez targeted, Harry Goularte Jr., is still facing a pending felony charge of lewd acts with a child, with a trial setting hearing scheduled for April 2026. - Velasquez's five-year sentence included credit for the more than three and a half years he served under house arrest while awaiting sentencing. - His parole eligibility, originally set for March 2026, was moved up due to his participation in rehabilitation and education programs while incarcerated.
