SPORTS

UFC Legend Cain Velasquez Arrested on Attempted Murder Charge After San Jose Shooting

March 1st, 2022

Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was arrested Monday in San Jose, California, following a shooting.

According to TMZ Sports, Velasquez was booked on an attempted murder charge after one person was shot near a high school in San Jose at around 3 p.m. local time.

TMZ noted that Velasquez was the only person arrested, although exact details surrounding the shooting remain unclear.

Velasquez was still in police custody as of Tuesday morning and is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday at noon local time.

The 39-year-old Velasquez was a professional MMA fighter from 2006-19 following a successful stint as a collegiate wrestler at Arizona State University.

He is best known for his stint with UFC from 2008-19 where he held the UFC heavyweight championship twice for a total of over three years.

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Velasquez beat current WWE star Brock Lesnar for the title in 2010, and after dropping it to Junior Dos Santos one year later, he regained it by beating Dos Santos in 2012.

Following successful title defenses against Dos Santos and Antonio Silva, Velasquez lost the heavyweight title for a second time when he fell to Fabricio Werdum in 2015.

Velasquez's most recent fight came against Francis Ngannou in 2019. Velasquez lost by first-round knockout, running his career record to 14-3 with 12 wins by way of knockout.

After retiring from MMA, Velasquez tried his hand at pro wrestling, debuting for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide in 2019. Shortly thereafter, Velasquez signed with WWE and entered into a program with Lesnar.

Velasquez made only a handful of appearances for WWE and had only one televised match, losing to Lesnar by submission at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia in October 2019. WWE released Velasquez in April 2020, paving the way for his return to AAA.

Curated By

Ricardo Vega
Investigative Street Correspondent | Immersion Journalism Producer | Underground Culture Documentarian
Ricardo Vega is an independent, boots-on-the-ground journalist who dives headfirst into the stories that mainstream outlets ignore. From derelict urban ruins and underground music scenes to extreme sports fringes and the overlooked edges of city life, he lives the stories he tells. With a Gonzo spirit and a Rolodex packed with street artists, underground athletes, indie musicians, and everyday voices rarely heard on network news, Ricardo delivers raw, immersive reporting that gets its hands dirty and its pulse racing. Ricardo doesn’t observe from a distance—he embeds, experiences, and brings back the unfiltered truth with authentic voices and gritty perspective. Fiercely independent in his politics and approach, Ricardo chases the real heartbeat of subcultures and forgotten places, where the sanitized narratives of corporate media never reach.

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