Former UFC champion Cain Velasquez has been released from prison for the shooting

Cain Velasquez, a former UFC mixed-martial arts champion who fought in San Jose, was released from prison on Sunday less than a year after being found guilty of attempted murder by chasing and shooting and wounding the family of a man accused of sexually abusing his son.

Velasquez recently posted on social media about his pending release, which was confirmed to the news agency by his criminal defense attorney, Renee Hessling.

Velasquez, 43, was returned to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation on March 27, 2025, three days after he was sentenced by retired Santa Clara Superior Court Judge Arthur Bocanegra, who was seen shedding tears as he handed down the five-year sentence.

That eventually translated to nearly a year in jail after counting Velasquez’s time in county jail following the Feb. 28, 2022, shooting, and later his supervised release on $1 million bail — also posted by Bocanegra — when Velasquez traveled out of the country to participate in wrestling and wrestling events under the UFC man’s corner.

Velasquez pleaded no contest in August 2024 to attempted murder and nine counts of aggravated assault in connection with the attack after reaching a plea deal with prosecutors that dropped the charges, eliminating a life sentence. However, Deputy District Attorney Aaron French sought a 30-year prison sentence while Hessling sought probation, and Bocanegra ultimately sided with more than a defense plea.

During his sentencing, Velasquez said “his actions were reckless and dangerous, and he is “ashamed and remorseful for the way I behaved on the day of my trial.” The judge allowed the recording of the fatal 911 call from Patty Bender, in which she described in real time being chased and shot by Velasquez, to be played at the hearing.

Paul Bender, the man who was injured in the incident, said in the same incident “Cain Velasquez has shown that he has no respect for the justice system, no regard for the law, and no regard for human life.”

Patty Bender, the mother of Velasquez who was the target of shooting Harry Goularte Jr., criticized what she described as the judge’s self-respect the allegations against her son in his sentencing hearing, insisting that they were never found in court and firmly asserting that he is innocent. Goularte’s case is pending and court records show a hearing is scheduled for April 15.

On the afternoon of Feb. 28, 2022, Goularte was being driven by Benders as they all left Morgan Hill for San Jose to have Goularte get an ankle monitor. That was in conjunction with his supervised release after being charged with abusing Velasquez’s child at the long-term care facility Patty Bender operated in her San Martin home.