Cain Velasquez opens up on moment he 'lost a will to live' before shooting attempt

Two-time UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez has given his most detailed account yet of the events that led to his 2022 arrest, describing the night his son disclosed alleged sexual abuse as the moment he lost all will to live.

In an interview with the Shawn Ryan Show, Velasquez, 44, recalled putting his son to bed when the child revealed he had been abused at his daycare by Harry Goularte, the son of the daycare’s operators. Velasquez said the family immediately followed the correct legal channels — filing a report and contacting authorities — only to watch Goularte walk free on bail the same week, without an ankle monitor, over a weekend when the relevant offices were closed.

“One night, I put my son to bed and he tells me things that are happening to him at his daycare,” Velasquez said. “We do what we’re supposed to do. Make a report, call the authorities. They just get everybody documented down, they go into the process.”

He described watching his son process the trauma in real time as the moment that broke him. “Just seeing my son and seeing all the traumas now come out because he’s disclosed this. Seeing that hurt in him, breaking down crying,” Velasquez said. “I f*cking lost a will to live.”

Velasquez also said he believed the daycare operators — Goularte’s mother and stepfather — were complicit, and that members of the wider community had long been aware of Goularte’s alleged behaviour without intervening.

On Feb. 28, 2022, Velasquez was arrested following a high-speed chase in Santa Clara County, California, during which he attempted to shoot at a vehicle carrying Goularte. In August 2024, Velasquez pleaded no-contest to charges including attempted murder and was sentenced to five years in prison. He was released on parole in February 2026, having received credit for time served during his initial incarceration and a subsequent period of house arrest.

Goularte faced separate charges related to the alleged abuse of Velasquez’s son. The case drew widespread attention across the MMA community and beyond, raising questions about how swiftly the justice system responds to child abuse allegations and the conditions under which accused individuals are released pending trial.

Velasquez, who held the UFC heavyweight title twice and is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweights in the sport’s history, has not competed in MMA since 2019.