Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Many UFC Stars United Once Came in Support of Cain Velasquez with a Letter to the Court

Following the sentencing of ex-UFC star Cain Velasquez, a letter of support submitted by a host of fighting stars has once more surfaced this week.

Velasquez, a former two-time heavyweight champion in the Octagon, received his prison sentence following his part in a shooting three years ago. The Salinas native was hit with charges including attempted murder in relation to the incident. Velasquez had previously pleaded no contest to the accusations levelled against him.

Sentenced to five years in prison, minus time served, Velasquez has been credited with 1,238 days of that sentence served already. This means the former fighter will have to serve 542 days and may be eligible for release as soon as next January.

During the incident, Velasquez inadvertently shot and injured Paul Bender, who had been accused of molesting his son at a daycare facility. Goularte has pleaded not guilty to a charge of lewd acts with a minor and is set to face trial on June 2.

And off the back of his sentencing, an open letter signed by notable UFC stars, including Dana White and teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov from 2022, written to the Santa Clara County Superior Court, is being widely shared.

“I have known Mr. Velasquez for more than 15 years.” White wrote.

“And during his time as an active athlete with UFC, he represented our company with dignity. And always treated others with respect. He was a model example of how a professional athlete should carry himself. And projected a positive image to UFC’s fanbase”, the UFC boss added.

Furthermore, Daniel Cormier, a long-time teammate of Velasquez at AKA in California, described the former as “helpful” to no end during his career.

“Cain has helped me on more occasions than I can count,” Cormier noted.

“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…“, DC added, testifying to Velasquez’s generosity.

Meanwhile, despite receiving a lenient sentence, another teammate of Velasquez has made a plea to the government.

Luke Rockhold asks Trump for pardon

Rallying around AKA stablemate, Velasquez, fellow ex-UFC middleweight champion Rockhold has made a plea to incumbent President, Donald Trump.

Citing his support for the Salinas veteran, Rockhold asserted that Velasquez’s sentence should be pardoned given the nature of the incident.

“I think it just comes down to the fact that this whole system’s wrong,” Rockhold told TMZ Sports.

“He’s done his time. And he’s proved he’s not a threat to society. He’s done countless things. I’ve gone with him to children’s hospitals to visit kids. And I see the joy that he brings people. He’s the least amount of threat to anyone in this world”,  Rockhold added, testifying to Velasquez’s character.

“If there ever was a time for President Trump to step in. And serve a real pardon that makes all the sense in the world, our situation is somewhat justified,” Rockhold explained.

Furthermore, the Santa Cruz veteran claimed that Velasquez is a model representative — until he feels he is wronged – as with the above-outlined accusation leveled against Goularte.

“Cain is one of the kindest, sweetest [people]. Until you punch Cain in the face, until you wrong him, he will never do anything wrong,” He added. “He’s a big teddy bear, what can I say?”, Rockhold concluded.