Cain Velasquez entered a no-contest plea to felony attempted murder, assault and multiple weapons charges on Friday, moving a situation that began in February 2022 to its next stage. The plea was entered at Santa Clara County Hall of Justice in San Jose, California.
The charges stem from an incident in which Velasquez allegedly engaged in a high-speed car chase with a man he accused of molesting the former UFC heavyweight champion's then-four-year-old son before firing several shots at the vehicle containing the man, missing the intended victim and instead shooting that man's stepfather.
After being arrested, Velasquez was released from jail that November on $1 million bail.
The no-contest plea removed premeditation charges from the proceedings, a charge which would have carried a mandatory sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole. Velasquez is now eligible for lighter sentencing.
A sentencing hearing is now set for Oct. 18, though Velasquez's actual sentencing will likely occur later in the year.
The intended victim, Harry Goularte, is awaiting his own trial on one felony count of lewd acts with a child related to the incident with Velasquez's child.
Velasquez won the UFC heavyweight championship in December 2012 with a win over Junior dos Santos and successfully defended the title twice. His MMA career came to an end after a knockout loss to Francis Ngannou in 2019. He followed that up with a brief professional wrestling career that included a match with Brock Lesnar in WWE.
