Cain Velasquez | Photo by Dai Sugano/Pool Photo/MediaNews Group/Bay Area News Group via Getty Images

Cain Velasquez’s coach and longtime friend Javier Mendez is standing by his fighter.

The two-time UFC heavyweight champion’s legal saga came to an end this past March, when he was sentenced to five years in prison (including time served) after pleading no-contest to a variety of charges including attempted murder in relation to a 2022 arrest. Velasquez was also charged with felony assault and gun-related charges after he took part in a high-speed chase in which he fired several rounds from a .40-caliber handgun aimed at a vehicle containing Harry Goularte, a man accused of molesting Velasquez’s son. Goularte’s stepfather Paul Bender was struck and sustained non-life threatening injuries.

Velasquez, 42, is expected to serves less than two additional years behind bars, but Mendez doesn’t think he should have to spend another second in jail.

“They got it wrong,” Mendez told Canal Encarada. “He shouldn’t have got any time. Yeah, there was things he did that were wrong, but when a father is out protecting his children, we go crazy, and he lost his head. They did a test on him, it’s called EEG (electroencephalogram), which tests your brain function, and they found that he had zero impulsivity and zero control. So that meant, like when you have road rage, you’re in the car and something enrages you, they go crazy, well he’s that person that had zero control. Zero thought process. So basically it’s something that you can work on, he’s been working on it, and it’s something that he should not be sentenced for. It should be something they should fix because yeah, what you did was wrong, no doubt. It was wrong.

“But how many of us would have thought anything different if he just went after the alleged person that molested his child. I would have killed the guy myself, personally. But I wouldn’t have did what Cain did. I would not have done that. I would have done it more secretly, I would have made sure I wasn’t around, and I would have killed that guy. You mess with my child? I’m sorry, it’s a whole different ballgame. You’re not going to touch my children. So Cain Velasquez was not thinking when this happened and the court system got it wrong.”

Velasquez was transferred to Wasco State Prison just outside Bakersfield, Calif., and is eligible for parole in March 2026. The parole date could arrive sooner based on a number of factors, including Velasquez’s behavior and his participation in prison programs.

Mendez doesn’t expect Velasquez to have any issues in jail and from what he’s heard, Velasquez has brought a positive attitude to a difficult situation.

“As far as how he’s doing in there, I knew he would do fantastic because I heard all the people at the sheriff’s department that work at the jail, guards and everything, love him and everybody gets along with him,” Mendez said. “Inmates get along with him. I knew that would happen. Cain Velasquez is the most beautiful, genuine person you could ever meet, who cares about everybody, he’s willing to help anybody. So I know in there he’s safe.

“It’s just the thing that hurts me is his child’s court case is coming in June. The boy was allegedly molested, and he doesn’t know where his father’s at, why can’t his father be with him, and then he’s going to go to court. This little boy’s going to go to court against the child molester, allegedly, and where’s his father going to be? In jail? That’s the part that gets me.”

Goularte, accused of molesting Velasquez’s son at a daycare owned by Goularte’s mother in San Martin, Calif., is expected to have his next court date in June. The Velasquez family is also suing Goularte and the daycare in civil court.

One thing Mendez is grateful for is that Velasquez’s sentencing wasn’t made worse by a prosecutor he considers to be overzealous.

“The prosecutor is a piece of shit because he wanted to give him 30 years,” Mendez said. “I hate these kind of people that don’t look at what’s right, what’s wrong, they’re just looking to further their career, like he’s a menace. He wasn’t a menace to anybody. If you know Cain Velasquez, and all the people that know him will vouch for him, your child is safe, you are safe with this guy. If anybody you want to protect your child or yourself, it’s Cain Velasquez.”

TOP STORIES

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VIDEO STEW

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SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

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Congrats!

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Azamat Murzakanov (14-0) vs. Brendson Ribeiro (17-7, 1 NC); UFC 316, June 7

Jack Hermansson (24-8) vs. Gregory Rodrigues (16-6); UFC 317, June 28

Brendan Allen (24-7) vs. Marvin Vettori (19-8-1); UFC 318, July 19

FINAL THOUGHTS

Call it Canadian bias, but I’m revved up for UFC 315. Belal Muhammad’s first title defense has both a worthy opponent (I know, I know, it’s not Shavkat) and plenty of narrative threads tied to it, so let’s just hope we get a satisfying resolution by night’s end. Then there’s the great Valentina Shevchenko facing Manon Fiorot, who has long deserved a title shot. Shevchenko is the underdog, so maybe there’s more to this matchup than most think?

There’s also four Canada vs. Brazil fights (sorry Guilherme Cruz, it’s on, bud!), a top contender bout between Alexa Grasso and Natalia Silva, and, yes, the return of Kyle Prepolec.

It’s Prepolec-Mania!

EXIT POLL

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