Numerous MMA Notables Submit Letters of Support for Cain Velasquez to California Court

UFC president Dana White was among many prominent figures from the MMA world who submitted letters in support of Cain Velasquez to the Santa Clara County Superior Court last week.

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 by judge Shelya Brown, who said that the “risk is too great” to release the UFC veteran.

According to ESPN, 34 letters were written to the court asking for leniency on behalf of Velasquez. Many of those praised Velasquez for being a family man, friend and teammate with no criminal record.

"I have known Mr. Velasquez for more than 15 years, and during his time as an active athlete with UFC, he represented our company with dignity and always treated others with respect," White wrote. "He was a model example of how a professional athlete should carry himself, projecting a positive image to UFC's fanbase.”

Others who wrote letters supporting Velasquez include the likes of Daniel Cormier, Kamaru Usman, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Henry Cejudo, Brandon Moreno, Fabricio Werdum, Ryan Bader, Yair Rodriguez, Kelvin Gastelum, Islam Makhachev, Bjorn Rebney, Scott Coker and Ali Abdelaziz.

Cormier, a longtime teammate of Velasquez’s at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif., praised the generosity of his training partner.

"Cain has helped me on more occasions than I can count," Cormier wrote. "Like me, he is a father and husband so he knows the demand of trying to do it all. Throughout the years, he has traveled with me, supported me, and even helped me prepare for a coaching job at the high school while I retired from my fighter career. Cain has taken it upon himself to help every chance he gets. During the pandemic when many gyms and restaurants were closed, Cain opened his home and provided a place for wrestlers to train and eat. He even housed them.”

The letters were solicited by Velasquez’s legal team, according to the report. The lead attorney is Mark Geragos, who in the past has represented the likes of Michael Jackson and Chris Brown.

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.