"This is why I will never live in California" - An angry Ali Abdelaziz vents his frustration after Cain Velasquez is sentenced to five years in prison

Former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez has been sentenced to five years in prison and four years of supervised probation after being charged with attempted murder back in 2022. The former heavyweight champ was allegedly involved in a car chase and allegedly shot at a man who is said to have molested his four-year-old son.

At the time of his arrest, Velasquez got massive sympathy from the MMA world and the general public, arguing that the alleged acts committed by the 42-year-old father were completely justified.

Now that the sentence has been handed in, new public outcry calls for a pardon for the beloved retired fighter. Abdelaziz took to X, writing his frustrations on the matter:

"This is why I will never live in California, they tried to give this man 30 years for protecting his family and the person who violated his family is still walking in the streets"

---

Cain Velasquez ahead of sentencing: "We cannot put the law in our own hands"

Despite the public support and demand for his pardon and release, Cain Velasquez is quite graceful with his acceptance of the sentencing. Having already pled guilty (no contest), the former UFC champion, admits that he's broken the law and trusts the justice system to hand him the sentence that he deserves.

In an appearance on his fellow AKA fighter Kyle Kingsbury's podcast, Velasquez was quite realistic with his assessment of the incident and subsequent consequences [via MMA Junkie]:

“From what I can say as far as myself, the way that I handled things was not the way to do it...We cannot put the law in our own hands...I know what I did, and I know what I did was very dangerous to other people, you know? Not just people involved, but to innocent people. I understand what I did and I’m willing to do everything I have to (in order) to pay that back. Whatever the court feels correct for what I have to do, I’m going to do it with my head up and still be me and not play the blame game. It was me that did that and reacted in that way.”

You have to hand it to Cain Velasquez. The level of integrity and humility he exemplied with these words are testament to the kind of man he is. A champion not just in the cage but also in life.