Cain Velasquez gives a bit of insight on the nearly year-long jail stint he spent for attempted murder charges.
A large part of 2022 for Cain Velasquez was spent behind bars. The former UFC heavyweight champion is currently facing multiple charges including attempted murder after allegedly chasing down and shooting at a vehicle of a man accused of molesting one of his family members.
Velasquez was denied bail twice but finally got it in November pending another trial. And in a recent interview on the Keepin’ it 100 podcast, he gave some insights on his eight-month jail time, which he said was primarily spent in protective custody.
“My mind ran both sides of it – the bad side and the good side,” Velasquez said (transcript by MMA Junkie). “We always have to have faith. It doesn’t matter what position we’re in, where we’re at.
“We’ve always got to look for the best-case scenario for us and just know that our lives are something much bigger and it’s all going to work out for the best, always.
“… They had me in protective custody. It was very low-key. (There were) only a few people that I was able to kind of hang out with. I guess the good thing about it is you’ve got a lot of alone time with yourself, and the bad thing about it was you’ve got a lot of alone time with yourself.”
Velasquez’s incarceration drew an influx of supportive messages from many of his peers in the MMA community, including calls for his release. For that, he has nothing but appreciation.
“… I did (hear about the support), and I have, and I just want to thank everyone. I truly appreciate everyone’s support in all of it. It means so much to me. It gave me a lot of strength when I was in there. I feel it and I just want to thank everybody forever for that.”
The 40-year-old Velasquez had been involved in pro-wrestling after his retirement from MMA in 2019. In December, he was able to make an appearance at a Lucha Libre event in Arizona upon the approval of a judge.