Cain Velasquez, the erstwhile UFC heavyweight titleholder, was granted parole from a California state correctional facility on Sunday, concluding an eleven-month period of confinement.
His veteran representative, Mike Fonseca, verified Velasquez’s release to ESPN. Velasquez had received a five-year prison sentence in March 2025, subsequent to entering a no-contest plea regarding accusations linked to a shooting incident from February 2022. During his sentencing, 1,283 days already served were acknowledged.
The allegations originated from an incident where Velasquez, aged 43, pursued and repeatedly discharged a firearm at the automobile of Harry Goularte, an individual implicated in molesting Velasquez’s four-year-old son. Goularte’s father, present in the vehicle, sustained injuries from a gunshot during the eleven-mile pursuit. In November 2022, Velasquez was awarded a $1 million bail and subsequently confined to home arrest.
Goularte persists in facing a serious charge concerning indecent acts with a minor. Furthermore, Velasquez has initiated a civil lawsuit against him.
Velasquez secured the UFC’s uncontested heavyweight title by defeating Brock Lesnar via knockout in October 2010. He participated in numerous championship bouts, representing the renowned American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose. His retirement from MMA occurred in 2019.
Subsequent to his apprehension, the UFC publicly expressed its endorsement of Velasquez, notably through a letter from Chief Executive Officer Dana White addressed to the judicial body, portraying him as an “exemplary instance of appropriate conduct for a professional athlete.”