Cain Velasquez out of prison as Dana White Shows Support for Former Champ
Dana White says he is “happy” to see former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez back home with his family after the fighter’s release from a California state prison, closing a turbulent chapter that began with a 2022 shooting and ended with a five-year sentence and parole in 2026.
Why was Cain Velasquez in Prison?
Velasquez, 42, was arrested in February 2022 after an 11-mile car chase in Santa Clara County, California, during which he pursued a pickup truck carrying Harry Goularte, the man accused of molesting his then-4-year-old son. Prosecutors said Velasquez fired multiple rounds from a .40-caliber handgun at the vehicle, missing Goularte and hitting his stepfather, Paul Bender, who was wounded in the arm and torso.
Goularte, who has pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of lewd acts with a minor, was headed from Morgan Hill to San Jose when the incident took place, and his own criminal case remains pending. The Santa Clara County district attorney later described Velasquez’s actions as a “vigilante shooting spree,” framing the case as a serious public-safety matter.
Velasquez spent a lengthy stretch in custody before final sentencing, becoming a cause in the MMA community and drawing public campaigns under the “Free Cain” banner. In August 2024 he pleaded no contest to felony attempted murder, assault and weapons charges, avoiding a potential life sentence but accepting significant prison time. In March 2025, a Santa Clara County judge sentenced him to five years in prison plus four years of supervised probation, with 1,283 days of credit for time already served while the case moved through the courts. That combination of pre-sentence custody and credit-earning programs set up an earlier path to release than the raw term suggested.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed that Velasquez was released on parole supervision on February 15, 2026, after roughly 11 additional months in a state facility. Officials said he “served his full sentence as defined by law,” noting both the substantial time served before sentencing and his eligibility to earn credits while incarcerated. Reports indicate he still faces a restitution hearing in March, where a court will determine how much he must pay to the victims under California’s rules for violent-crime cases.
Dana White
White’s personal connection to Velasquez surfaced at the Zuffa Boxing 03 post-fight press conference, where he was asked how it felt to see his former heavyweight champion finally walk free.
“Yeah, I’m happy for him,” White said, before pointing straight to Velasquez’s home life and the impact of the past few years. “Obviously, to get home to his family and what they went through, if that wasn’t bad enough, the guy’s been in jail this whole time.”
Throughout the case, Velasquez received high-profile backing from figures across MMA, including Dana White. In 2022 White wrote a formal letter to the court urging leniency, saying he had known Velasquez for more than 15 years and calling him a “model example of how a professional athlete should carry himself.” White praised the former champion’s conduct during his UFC tenure, describing him as someone who represented the company with dignity and treated others with respect. That written support sat alongside statements and fundraising efforts from fighters and fans who cast Velasquez as a devoted father reacting to allegations against his child.
