Cain Velasquez, a former UFC Heavyweight Champion convicted of attempted murder in 2024, is out on parole after 11 months in prison.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed in a statement to The Athletic that Velasquez was released Sunday. An attorney listed for Velasquez has not returned a request for comment.
Velasquez, 43, was arrested in 2022 after attempting to shoot Harry Goularte Jr., a daycare worker accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting Velasquez’s 4-year-old son. Goularte was arrested Feb. 23, 2022, and charged with lewd acts with a minor child under 14 years old. He was released on bond two days later and ordered to wear a GPS ankle monitor.
As Goularte was on his way to pick up the device, Velasquez began chasing the vehicle occupied by Goularte, his stepfather and his mother, Patricia Goularte, who operated the home daycare Velasquez’s son attended. Velasquez eventually rammed into the vehicle with his truck and then began shooting at Goularte. The shots instead struck Paul Bender, Goularte’s stepfather, in the arm. Bender suffered non-life-threatening injuries; Goularte was unharmed.
Following his arrest and initial plea of not guilty, Velasquez pleaded no contest in 2024 to a variety of criminal charges, including attempted first-degree murder, shooting at a motor vehicle, assault with a firearm and discharging a firearm from a vehicle.
He was ordered to serve five years in prison and four years of supervised probation in March 2025 after years of delays, but received credit for time served in county jail and under house arrest. Velasquez was set to be eligible for parole in March 2026, though California prison records indicate it was later bumped up to February.
Velasquez has a June 3 court appearance related to his case to determine how much restitution he owes Bender and the Goulartes.
Goularte’s case is ongoing. His next hearing is a trial setting conference on April 15, when his trial date will be scheduled. An attorney for Goularte has not returned a request for comment.
A civil case has also been filed by Velasquez and his family on behalf of Velasquez’s son against Goularte, Patricia Goularte and Bender. It accuses Bender and Patricia Goularte of negligence because they lived at the home the daycare operated out of, the site of the alleged assaults. They are further accused of helping Harry Goularte cover up his alleged crimes. Attorneys for Bender and Patricia Goularte have not responded to requests for comment. A jury trial in the case is scheduled for Nov. 9.
Velasquez rose to fame when he defeated Brock Lesnar to win the UFC Heavyweight title in 2010. He went on to win two UFC heavyweight championship titles before officially retiring from MMA in 2019 with a 17-3 record.
