Ex-UFC fighter implores Trump to pardon former champion who shot at alleged child molester
Former UFC star Cain Velasquez was sentenced to five years in prison Monday after he pleaded no contest in the 2022 shooting of a man he alleged molested his son.
Velasquez was arrested in February 2022 on attempted murder and multiple gun charges after police said he fired at a pickup carrying the man whom he alleged sexually assaulted his 4-year-old son. The man was later identified as Harry Goularte.
Prosecutors said Velasquez chased a pickup truck carrying the man for 11 miles through busy streets in the San Jose area, authorities said.
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Velasquez will receive credit for 1,283 days served in prison, which amounts to about three years, according to KTVU. He has a year and a half left in his sentence.
However, one of his former UFC colleagues, Luke Rockhold, wants that number to shrink with the help of President Donald Trump.
"I think it just comes down to the fact that this whole system's wrong. He's done his time. He's proved he's not a threat to society. He's done countless things. I've gone with him to children's hospitals to visit kids and see the joy that he brings people. He's the least amount of threat to anyone in this world," Rockhold told TMZ Sports this week.
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"If there ever was a time for President Trump to step in and serve a real pardon that makes all the sense in the world … our situation is somewhat justified.
"Cain is one of the kindest, sweetest — until you punch Cain in the face, until you wrong him, he will never do anything wrong. He's a big teddy bear, what can I say?"
The ex-champion pleaded no contest to felony assault and gun charges as part of a negotiated agreement with the Santa Clara County Prosecutor’s Office, District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in August. Premeditated murder charges against Velasquez were dropped as part of the deal.
Velasquez earned his first UFC heavyweight championship in 2012 by defeating Junior dos Santos. Velasquez successfully defended his title twice.
He had a brief pro wrestling career in WWE and Mexico’s AAA.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos and Chantz Martin contributed to this report.
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