Dana White says he’s “joyful” to see former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez again residence along with his household after the fighter’s launch from a California state jail, closing a turbulent chapter that started with a 2022 capturing and ended with a five-year sentence and parole in 2026.
Why was Cain Velasquez in Jail?
Velasquez, 42, was arrested in February 2022 after an 11-mile automobile chase in Santa Clara County, California, throughout which he pursued a pickup truck carrying Harry Goularte, the person accused of molesting his then-4-year-old son. Prosecutors stated Velasquez fired a number of rounds from a .40-caliber handgun on the vehicle, lacking Goularte and hitting his stepfather, Paul Bender, who was wounded within the arm and torso.
Goularte, who has pleaded not responsible to a felony cost of lewd acts with a minor, was headed from Morgan Hill to San Jose when the incident came about, and his personal felony case stays pending. The Santa Clara County district lawyer later described Velasquez’s actions as a “vigilante capturing spree,” framing the case as a severe public-safety matter.
Velasquez spent a lengthy stretch in custody earlier than ultimate sentencing, changing into a trigger within the MMA group and drawing public campaigns below the “Free Cain” banner. In August 2024 he pleaded no contest to felony tried homicide, assault and weapons fees, avoiding a possible life sentence however accepting vital jail time. In March 2025, a Santa Clara County decide sentenced him to 5 years in jail plus 4 years of supervised probation, with 1,283 days of credit score for time already served whereas the case moved via the courts. That mixture of pre-sentence custody and credit-earning applications arrange an earlier path to launch than the uncooked time period instructed.
The California Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed that Velasquez was launched on parole supervision on February 15, 2026, after roughly 11 further months in a state facility. Officers stated he “served his full sentence as outlined by legislation,” noting each the substantial time served earlier than sentencing and his eligibility to earn credit whereas incarcerated. Experiences point out he nonetheless faces a restitution listening to in March, the place a courtroom will decide how a lot he should pay to the victims below California’s guidelines for violent-crime circumstances.
Dana White
White’s private connection to Velasquez surfaced on the Zuffa Boxing 03 post-fight press convention, the place he was requested the way it felt to see his former heavyweight champion lastly stroll free.
“Yeah, I’m joyful for him,” White stated, earlier than pointing straight to Velasquez’s residence life and the affect of the previous few years. “Clearly, to get residence to his household and what they went via, if that wasn’t unhealthy sufficient, the man’s been in jail this entire time.”
All through the case, Velasquez acquired high-profile backing from figures throughout MMA, together with Dana White. In 2022 White wrote a proper letter to the courtroom urging leniency, saying he had identified Velasquez for greater than 15 years and calling him a “mannequin instance of how an expert athlete ought to carry himself.” White praised the previous champion’s conduct throughout his UFC tenure, describing him as somebody who represented the corporate with dignity and handled others with respect. That written help sat alongside statements and fundraising efforts from fighters and followers who forged Velasquez as a loyal father reacting to allegations towards his little one.
