Former UFC Champion Pleads Not Guilty to Attempted Murder

Cain Velasquez (R) appears for his arraignment with attorney Edward Sousa, who appeared with him, at the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice in San Jose, Calif., on Nov. 21, 2022. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group via AP, Pool)

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez pleaded not guilty Monday to felony attempted murder, assault and weapons charges in a case involving a man who allegedly sexually abused one of Velasquez’s children.

Velasquez was charged in March in San Jose, California, after he allegedly shot at a pickup truck carrying a man accused of sexually abusing a 4-year-old family member.

Prosecutors said that on Feb. 28, Velasquez chased a pickup truck carrying the man and the man’s parents at high speeds through three Silicon Valley cities and rammed it with his own truck. He fired a .40-caliber pistol at the vehicle several times, wounding the man’s stepfather, who was driving, in his arm and torso, prosecutors said.

Velasquez was released from jail on Nov. 9 on $1 million bail and ordered to wear a GPS monitoring device.

After entering his plea, Velasquez asked the judge to allow him to travel next month to Arizona State University to wrestle in a Lucha Libre event taking place Dec. 3, KNTV-TV reported.

The judge did not rule on the out-of-state travel request.

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