Cain Velasquez Releases First Statement Since Arrest, Urges ‘True Victims' to 'Come Forward'

Cain Velasquez has broken his silence the first time since being charged with attempted murder, releasing a statement on social media urging the “true victims” in the case to “come forward.”

Velasquez is facing attempted murder and multiple other charges after firing shots at a man accused of molesting a younger relative of the fighter’s on multiple occasions. Velasquez was denied bail at an arraignment after it was determined too great a risk to release the former UFC heavyweight champion.

Velasquez’s full statement is as follows:

“To everyone that has expressed your support, my family and I will never be able to thank you enough. From the bottom of our hearts and the depths of our souls, we are forever grateful for your love. Your selfless gestures and kind words have given me strength in my darkest times. This story is complex and slowly unraveling as we speak. To the true victims of this case, may God give you the strength to come forward. Though it is most difficult to relive the pain that has happened to you, in speaking the truth, justice will be served and your own healing will start. I will never stop helping or loving my community and all of you. Thank you for loving me.”

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— Cain Velasquez (@cainmma) April 12, 2022

The 39-year-old Velasquez is accused of attempted murder, premeditated murder and a litany of other charges after firing a .40 handgun “multiple times” into a truck carrying Harry Goularte, Paul Bender and Patricia Goularte. Velasquez was targeting Harry Goularte, who allegedly molested a close relative of the fighter’s as many as “100 times.” Velasquez engaged in a high-speed chase through “busy streets” of San Jose with the vehicle and fired shots, ultimately wounding Bender, who is Harry Goularte’s stepfather.

The 43-year-old Harry Goularte had been charged with one felony count of a lewd and lascivious act with a child under the age of 14 on Feb. 25. A judge released him from custody without bail under the condition that he remain on home detention in Morgan Hill, stay away from children younger than 14 and wear an electronic ankle monitor – despite the protests of the district attorney’s office. Goularte was on his way to pick up the tracking device when Velasquez attacked the vehicle.

If convicted, Velasquez faces more than 20 years in prison. On Tuesday, Velasquez was granted a continuance until May 6 for a plea hearing. According to reports, Velasquez turned toward the gallery and made a heart symbol with his hands toward those who were in attendance to show him support, including training partner Daniel Cormier, AKA coach Javier Mendez and other former teammates. The UFC veteran’s lawyer, Mark Geragos requested that the plea hearing be pushed back, and that request was granted by Judge Jose S. Franco.

Velasquez last fought for the Las Vegas-based promotion in February 2019, when he suffered a first-round KO loss to current divisional kingpin Francis Ngannou at UFC on ESPN 1. The Salinas, Calif., native compiled a 14-3 mark during his MMA career, earning wins over the likes of Junior dos Santos (twice), Brock Lesnar, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Ben Rothwell, Cheick Kongo and Travis Browne. He was part of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)from 2019 to 2020 and has also competed for Mexican wrestling organization Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide.

Note: This item was updated at approximately 9:39 p.m. ET to include additional information.