Former UFC champion Cain Velasquez charged with attempt to murder

The former UFC champion, former WWE wrestler, and current luchador is being jailed without bail in Northern California.

Cain Velasquez [Image- Twitter]
By Blesson Daniel | Mar 2, 2022 | 2 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Cain Velasquez, the former UFC heavyweight champion and pro wrestler, was arrested for attempted murder. This is according to San Jose police. Velasquez was detained on Monday in connection with the accused shooting of a man on the city’s southwestern outskirts.

But there is more to the story. Reports suggest Velasquez may have shot someone he felt assaulted a child linked to the 39-year-old ex-MMA fighter.

The man’s father was shot by gunfire, according to NBC Bay Area. The man’s stepfather was hit with at least one bullet, according to the San Jose Mercury News, which quoted sources.

The two were in a vehicle that was reportedly fired at by Velasquez. The suspect was given a supervised release on Friday. This came after being charged with lewd and lascivious conduct with a child under the age of 14.

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Velasquez, 39, was put into the Santa Clara County jail and is now being detained without bond, according to documents.

On Wednesday, he is set to appear in court. Other information concerning the alleged shooting were not made public by San Jose police.

The victim, who was not identified, was brought to a hospital with injuries that were classified as non-life-threatening.

Cain Velasquez’ career

Velasquez, a native of California, is reported to practice and instruct at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, which is less than five miles from the alleged gunshot location.

Velasquez held the UFC heavyweight championship twice, first in 2011 and then again from 2012 till 2015. At UFC 121, he won the title for the first time via technical knockout against Brock Lesnar but later lost to Junior dos Santos.

He later reclaimed the title from dos Santos in 2013, successfully defending it twice until being dethroned by Fabricio Werdum.

Velasquez then retired from mixed martial arts after two more bouts, a victory over Travis Browne at UFC 200, and a 26-second knockout loss to Francis Ngannou in 2019.

In WWE, he was unable to beat Lesnar for the heavyweight title during a contentious performance in Saudi Arabia, when performers were allegedly detained on the airport by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman due to a payment disagreement.

Velasquez entered pro wrestling after his most recent UFC bout, a fast knockout defeat to Francis Ngannou in February 2019 that cut his record to 14-3. Velasquez has participated in WWE events in between stints with Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, a Mexico City-based organization.