Ex-UFC Champ Cain Velasquez Allegedly Was Aiming To Shoot Man Accused Of Molesting Young Relative

Former UFC champion Cain Velasquez, who was arrested on an attempted murder charge this week, allegedly was aiming to kill a man accused of molesting one of his young relatives when he shot a man inside a car.

Velasquez, 39, was arrested at the scene of a Bay Area shooting on Monday, and booked into Santa Clara County jail for attempted murder, according to the San José Police Department. The shooting occurred at an intersection and involved a pickup truck and a car.

The former MMA fighter was allegedly attempting to shoot a man named Harry Eugene Goularte when he opened fire on a car, The Denver Post reports. But the bullet allegedly struck Goularte’s stepfather, one of the other occupants in the car, instead. He is expected to survive.

Goularte, 43, had been arraigned just days earlier on a felony count of a lewd and lascivious act with a child under the age of 14. That child is apparently a relative of Velasquez, according to the Denver Post. The alleged abuse happened at a Santa Clara County daycare center run by Goularte’s mother; Goularte lived on the property where the daycare is located.

Velasquez is being held without bail. It’s not clear if he has a lawyer.

According to CBS Sports, Velasquez is considered among MMA's greatest heavyweights. He earned a UFC heavyweight championship after beating Brock Lesnar in a first-round TKO in 2010. He retired from MMA in 2019. Following his retirement, Velasquez wrestled for WWE, fighting Lesnar again in 2019 in Saudi Arabia, the New York Post reports.

He was let go from the WWE in 2020, apparently as a result of COVID-19 budget cuts. His Instagram account shows pictures of him wrestling for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide in December.

The former fighter is currently being held without bail. The San José Police Department told Oxygen.com on Tuesday that they can not comment further or provide any additional information at this time.