Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez has been released from custody after serving his sentence for a 2022 shooting incident in California.
Velasquez, 43, was released on parole on February 15 from the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad, California, following an 11-month prison stay. Footage circulated after his release showed him being greeted by his wife, Michelle, and their children, with a mariachi band present. In March 2025, Velasquez was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading no contest to attempted murder and felony assault.
His early release was influenced by credit for time served prior to sentencing. “He received 1,283 days of pre-sentence credit for time served while awaiting sentencing and was eligible for credit-earning opportunities while incarcerated. He was released to parole supervision on Feb. 15, 2026, after serving his full sentence as defined by law,” the Department of Corrections said.
The charges stemmed from a February 2022 shooting in which Velasquez opened fire on a vehicle carrying Harry Goularte, who has been accused of molesting Velasquez’s young son at a daycare. The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office said at the time of sentencing: “Cain Velasquez was sentenced to five years in prison today for a vigilante shooting spree that wounded an unintended target and sprayed bullets near a school crowded with children, teachers and parents.”
The office added: “Velasquez began shooting at the victims at a Morgan Hill intersection. As they tried to flee, he rammed their vehicle and fired more rounds at them, striking the driver in the arm and right flank, severing his brachial artery, as they drove past the Charter School of Morgan Hill.”
While Velasquez has now completed his custodial sentence and been released to parole supervision, Goularte’s separate felony case for alleged lewd acts with a minor remains pending in California.
