Cain Velasquez pleads not guilty to charges including attempted murder

Cain Velasquez pleaded not guilty to several charges on Friday in court.

According to MMAJunkie’s Nolan King, the former UFC heavyweight champ pled not guilty Friday to multiple charges including attempted murder. Velasquez is facing a total of 10 charges, being attempted murder; shooting at an occupied motor vehicle or aircraft; three counts of assault with a firearm; three counts of assault with a deadly weapon; willfully discharging a firearm from a vehicle, and carrying a loaded firearm with intent to commit a felony. If he is found guilty of attempted murder he faces a minimum of 20 years and up to life in prison, with additional time being added for the other charges, if found guilty.

Velasquez is alleged to have shot at a man who was recently charged with molesting a close relative of his. However, he apparently missed that man, and his bullet hit the defendant’s stepfather.

Cain Velasquez has been in jail since February 28 and has been denied bail three times since then. According to the district attorney, he says Velasquez took the law into his own hands which is why he was taken to jail and has been there for nearly six months.

“The sad tragedy is that Mr. Velasquez chose to take the law into his own hands, endangering the public and everyone in the truck,” Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. “This act of violence also causes more pain and suffering to his family.”

Velasquez last fought back in 2019 and suffered a KO loss to Francis Ngannou, he announced his retirement after that. The former UFC heavyweight champion holds notable wins over Junior dos Santos, twice, Brock Lesnar, Cheick Kongo, Ben Rothwell, Travis Browne, and Bigfoot Silva, twice. He went 11-3 in the UFC after starting out his UFC career in his third pro fight in 2008.

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