UFC veteran stands by Cain Velasquez amid his potential decades-long imprisonment

Ever since Cain Velasquez got arrested for attacking the man who molested his son, the entire MMA community was in disbelief, as the resounding sentiment was that the heavyweight had every right to avenge the abuse his son had to endure. Soon, #FreeCain began circulating, rallying for the UFC vet to be set free. Recently, former UFC star Jake Shields joined in voicing his support.

The 45-year-old took to X to share support for the UFC Hall of Famer with the following words:

"Cain Velasquez did nothing wrong"

Velasquez is facing an attempted murder charge for a February 2022 incident where he allegedly engaged in a high-speed car chase with a man accused of molesting the UFC veteran's son before firing several shots at the man's stepfather, missing the alleged culprit.

The 42-year-old was arrested and released in November on $1 million in bail. In the latest update to the case, Velasquez entered a no-contest plea to felony attempted murder, assault, and multiple weapons charges on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, advancing a case that began in February 2022 to the next stage. The petition was filed at the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice in San Jose, California.

The no-contest plea dropped premeditation charges from the proceedings, which would have resulted in a mandatory life sentence with the possibility of parole. Velasquez is now eligible for lenient sentencing.

A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 18, but Velasquez's actual sentencing will likely take place at a later date.

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Derek Brunson supports Cain Velasquez and brings back the #FreeCain movement

Former UFC middleweight Derek Brunson displayed his unwavering support for the former champion and brought the #FreeCain trend back on X, almost three years after the incident.

He wrote:

"#FreeCainVELASQUEZ"

A slew of MMA fighters extended their support for Velasquez when he was arrested in 2022; among them was the promotional CEO Dana White, who wrote a letter to the judge overseeing the case.

Cain Velasquez won the UFC heavyweight championship in December 2012 with a victory over Junior Dos Santos and successfully defended it twice. His MMA career ended in 2019 with a knockout loss to Francis Ngannou. He went on to have a brief professional wrestling career, including a match with Brock Lesnar in WWE.