A slew of mixed martial arts figures and fighters have rallied around former two-time UFC heavyweight champion, Cain Velasquez, after the Salinas native was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following an alleged shooting involving him and another male on Monday in Morgan Hill, California.
Velasquez, 39, is set to appear in court this Wednesday afternoon after he was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, after he is alleged to have shot at a car containing three occupants, in the direction of a 43-year-old male who had recently been accused of molesting a close relative of Velasquez at a daycare facility.
The male, who was arraigned on Friday, just three days before the incident on Monday, if believed to have been the target of the alleged shooting, however, reports have suggested Velasquez, had shot the male’s stepfather “at least once” with his injuries described as “non-life-threatening” after he was transported to hospital.
Cain Velasquez is currently being held without bail and is set to appear in court on Wednesday at noon local time
With further details regarding the alleged shooting and incident emerging in the early hours of Wednesday morning, a slew of professional mixed martial arts fighters have rallied around Velasquez, offering the former two-time UFC heavyweight champion support amid his arrest on suspicion of attempted murder.
A hashtag across social media, #FreeCain began trending following Velasquez’s arrest on Monday, where the 39-year-old is currently held at the Santa Clara Main Jail without bail.
Former UFC welterweight contender, Ben Askren voiced his support for Velasquez, tweeting, “I don’t want to live in a country where you can’t shoot someone who sexually abused your child. #FreeCain,” Ben Askren tweeted.
Veteran middleweight contender, Derek Brunson, also shared his thoughts on the situation, tweeting, “FREE Cain Velasquez (100 emoji).”
FREE Cain Velasquez
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) March 2, 2022
Alluding to the further developments regarding Velasquez’s arrest, UFC featherweight, Sodiq Yusuff called for the Californian to be freed. “If the stuff about Cain (Velasquez) is true free him” Sodiq Yusuff tweeted.
Outspoken UFC middleweight contender, Sean Strickland reacted to the developments in the incident, labelling Velasquez a “hero”.
“If this is true @cainmma (Cain Velasquez) is a f*cking hero bottom f*cking line,” Sean Strickland tweeted. “There is nothing I respect more than when I (sic) man does this. 911 isn’t the answer for this. I’ll be the first one donating to a GoFundMe for his (Velasquez’s) defense. Pedophiles need to die.. they can only be fixed with fire….”
UFC bantamweight contender, Marlon Vera also praised Velasquez’s choice to brandish and fire his weapon, tweeting, “Cain (Velasquez) opens fire to a rapist? Good choice champ.”
Cain opens fire to a rapist? Good choice champ https://t.co/0ZHxHrhwXM
— C H
T O
T O
V E R A (@chitoveraUFC)
UFC middleweight contender and one-time title chaser, Marvin Vettori also voiced his backing for Velasquez, tweeting, “Cain (Velasquez) got my support (100 emoji).”
Cain got my support
— Marvin Vettori (@MarvinVettori) March 2, 2022
Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger and Bellator contender, Anthony Johnson released a post on his Instagram story, claiming he did not blame Velasquez for reacting in the manner in which he did.
“#FreeCain I don’t blame the man. As much bs (bullsh*t) as the media puts out this is something that should be praised in a way for caring about our youth and not just saying he’s arrested for attempted murder for attention. Sometimes the law isn’t enough, work fast enough or care (we’ve seen it go both ways) and we just have to take the situation off their hands for our own mental… Every Man wants to protect his children.”
Posting on Instagram, Bellator contender, Corey Anderson claimed he stands with Velasquez following the latter’s Monday arrest.
“I STAND WITH CAIN! Molesting his “CHILD”……. Can you blame him?! Especially in today’s world IF the guy was a (sic) arrested he would’ve probably gotten a sentence to time in a therapist office for his “sickness” and community service.”
Dominance MMA leader, prominent manager, Ali Abdelaziz also posted regarding Velasquez’s situation, labelling the AKA trainee a “great man”.
“Great man Best father @cainmma (raised hands emoji) (love heart emoji) @dc_mma @akajav,” Ali Abdelaziz tweeted.
Great man Best father @cainmma
— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) March 2, 2022
UFC bantamweight, Randy Costa, posted “Free Cain Velasquez” on his Twitter regarding the Salinas native’s arrest.
UFC lightweight, Terrance McKinney posted a picture of Velasquez taking down Junior dos Santos – with the Brazilian’s face replaced by sex trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein on his Twitter, with the caption, “Free Cain, kill all pedophiles”.
Sharing an article regarding the developing details of Velasquez’s arrest, UFC alum, Jake Shields asked where he could donate to a GoFundMe page for the former heavyweight champion.
“Where can we donate to the GoFundMe #FreeCainVelasquez,” Jake Shields tweeted.