Cain Velasquez, a former UFC fighter, was sentenced to five years in prison for charges including attempted murder after a car chase incident, with Dana White supporting him by paying his bail and publicly advocating for him.
Cain Velasquez hasn’t fought in the UFC since 2019, yet Dana White didn’t hesitate to help when things got tough. Before receiving a five-year prison sentence, Velasquez spent eight months in jail. A judge repeatedly denied him bail after his no-contest plea to charges, including premeditated attempted murder.
Back in February 2022, Velasquez was arrested following an 11-mile high-speed chase. He pursued a car with Harry Goularte, accused of molesting Velasquez’s son at Goularte’s mother’s daycare. During the chase, Velasquez fired a .40-caliber handgun, hitting Goularte’s stepfather, Paul Bender, in the arm. Fortunately, Bender’s injuries weren’t life-threatening.
In November 2022, Judge Arthur Bocanegra set Velasquez’s bail at $1 million. Dana White immediately stepped up to assist the retired fighter. Velasquez shared on the Basement Talk podcast, “I don’t know if he gave out a statement or something beforehand when I was locked up and also he did pay my bail as well. So they’re helping.”
White never publicly confirmed paying the bail but consistently supported Velasquez. He even wrote a letter to the court advocating for his release. After Velasquez’s release, White told TMZ, “I’m happy for him and his family to be finally back together. Cain Velasquez is a good man, he’s a good person.”
White added, “As if the kids haven’t suffered enough, they lost their father for almost a year. Hopefully, the real justice gets served, and Cain, who is a good man, a good father, a good husband, gets to be home with his family.”
Velasquez remained free until March when Judge Bocanegra sentenced him to five years in prison. Prosecutors had sought 30 years to life. Thanks to time served, Velasquez could be eligible for parole as early as March 2026.
While serving his sentence, Velasquez faces additional hearings. The next one, a restitution hearing, is set for June 3. This will determine how much he must pay the victims involved in the case.