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Judge denies bail to UFC champion Cain Velasquez charged in shooting

Velasquez, 39, fired a .40-caliber pistol after he chased a pickup carrying the man through busy streets in three Silicon Valley cities.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez makes an initial court appearance at the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice on March 2, 2022, in San Jose, Calif.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez makes an initial court appearance at the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice on March 2, 2022, in San Jose, Calif.Aric Crabb / Bay Area News Group via AP
/ Source: The Associated Press

SAN JOSE, Calif. — A judge in California denied bail Monday to former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, who faces attempted murder and multiple gun assault charges after authorities said he fired at a pickup truck carrying a man accused of sexually abusing a 4-year-old family member.

Velasquez was arrested in San Jose last week after he chased a pickup carrying the man through busy streets in three Silicon Valley cities, ramming the vehicle with his own pickup truck during an 11-mile high-speed chase, prosecutors said.

Velasquez, 39, fired a .40-caliber pistol at the vehicle several times, wounding the man’s stepfather, who was driving, in his arm and torso, prosecutors said.

Celebrity attorney Mark Geragos, who is representing Velasquez, told reporters outside the court that he plans on vindicating Cain and getting him back with his family, the Mercury News reported.

Velasquez transitioned to pro-wrestling after retiring from his MMA career in 2019. A former two-time UFC heavyweight champion, he earned title belts in 2010 and 2012.

CORRECTION (March 17, 2022, 6:45 p.m. ET): A headline on a previous version of this article misstated the severity of the victim’s injuries in the Velasquez case. The victim was wounded, not killed.