Former UFC champion Cain Velasquez pleads no contest in attempted murder case

Cain Velasquez made a confession in his 2022 attempted murder trial.

According to Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen, the UFC champion pleaded no contest to charges of aggravated assault and weapons possession as part of a negotiated agreement with prosecutors.

The charges stem from an incident in which Velasquez allegedly fired shots at another vehicle during a chase. Inside the other vehicle at the time was a man who is accused of sexually assaulting a four-year-old relative of Velasquez.

The man's stepfather was also in the car and was injured by gunfire.

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Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez in the corner of Gabriel Benitez of Mexico during a UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on January 13, 2024 in Las Vegas. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Velasquez, who retired from mixed martial arts competition in 2019, was scheduled to go on trial in September and still faces prison time, Rosen's office said.

However, the unopposed plea means that the first-degree murder charge against Velasquez will be dropped. Velasquez no longer faces a life sentence with the possibility of parole.

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The man accused of abusing the boy is the adult son of a woman who ran a daycare center where the child attended.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez in the corner of Gabriel Benitez during his featherweight bout against David Onama during a UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on February 19, 2022 in Las Vegas. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Rosen said the shooting scene put children and their parents in danger.

“This defendant decided to become judge, jury and executioner. By his actions, he endangered innocent bystanders, including young children and their parents, who could have been injured or killed when he shot his intended victim,” Rosen said in a statement.

“We have excellent law enforcement in this county. Let them do their jobs.”

Cain Velasquez has his hands bandaged backstage during a UFC Fight Night event at Talking Stick Resort Arena on February 17, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Velasquez is suspected of firing several shots at the pickup truck with a .40 caliber handgun, but the stepfather was probably not the intended target. The victim was hit in the arm and upper body.

Velasquez was arrested in 2022 and released from jail in November 2022 after posting bail while awaiting trial. Harry Goularte, the man accused of sexual abuse, continues to await trial on child abuse charges.

Velasquez's sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 18.

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Velasquez and his attorney, Renee Hessling, declined to comment after a court hearing Friday, the Bay Area News Group reported.

Velasquez won his first UFC heavyweight title in 2012 by defeating Junior dos Santos. Velasquez successfully defended his title twice.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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