Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was sentenced to five years in prison for attempted murder and other gun assault charges stemming from a 2022 incident, NBC Bay Area reported on Monday (March 24).
Velasquez was sentenced in Santa Clara County Court on Monday after pleading no contest last year. The former UFC champion reportedly fired a handgun multiple times at a truck carrying three people, including one individual accused of molesting Velasquez's young relative.
One of the bullets fired by Velasquez hit and injured the driver's arm. The former UFC fighter admitted he handled the situation poorly during an appearance on the Kyle Kingsbury Podcast.
Velasquez, a native of Salinas, California, is best known for his tenure in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's heavyweight division, which included winning the UFC Heavyweight Championship twice, defeating Brock Lesnar for the title on October 23, 2010 and Junior dos Santos -- who defeated him during his initial 2011 defense -- on December 29, 2012, making two successful defenses against Antônio Silva (May 25, 2013) and dos Santos (October 19, 2013) following his second stint as champion.
Velasquez also made appearances for WWE in 2019, feuding with Lesnar as an ally to WWE legend Rey Mysterio and his son, Dominick, before being released by the company in 2020.