After spending months into prison cell, Cain Velasquez is now grappling with a different kind of challenge: the overwhelming pace of a ‘new way of life.’ This comes from the unwavering support he received from the fans and the MMA community. They were the ones urging for Velasquez’s release from prison. As it happened, the former UFC heavyweight took a moment to gather his thoughts and keep it out in the public.

“Hi everyone, now that it’s been a couple of weeks since my release,” Velasquez said in an Instagram post. “I’ve had some time to kind of get back into things, get back into a normal way of life, get used to just doing the normal things, being in the home with the family, being there for my kids. And I just wanted to thank everybody for their love and support. Your words of inspiration, of encouragement, constantly just lifted me up, myself and my family…

So just thank you. I’ll keep doing the work to get back to everyone. And just for myself now, just slowly get back out there. I didn’t want to overwhelm myself with the pace of life that I was getting used to, to now all of a sudden, a new way of life, a new way of living, a new rhythm. So for myself, I just had to kind of get used to it, and I’ve been doing that. So again, just thank you. Thank you. Thank you, everyone, and it’s good to be out.”

For those unaware, Cain Velasquez found himself in deep trouble for a 2022 incident. While the action was punishable in the eyes of the law, Velasquez deemed it a necessary step that a father took for his son. Harry Goularte is the individual at the center of these events.

As the former UFC heavyweight heard about how Goularte allegedly molested his four-year-old son at a daycare facility, he couldn’t keep calm. Velasquez stormed out and targeted a truck carrying Harry Goularte. To that end, he rammed the truck and fired multiple rounds from a .40-caliber handgun.

In the aftermath of that, while Goularte was uninjured, his stepfather, Paul Bender, was shot in the arm and torso. And for that, Velasquez was originally charged with attempted first-degree murder, which carried a potential sentence of 20 years to life. But after spending eight months in jail, Velasquez was released on $1 million bail in November 2022 and remained under house arrest until his trial.

Moving forward, in August 2024, Velasquez pleaded no contest to attempted murder and gun assault charges. Hence, in March 2025, he was sentenced to five years in prison and four years of supervised probation. However, the judge credited Velasquez with 1,283 days for time already served in jail and under house arrest.

And for this, the former UFC heavyweight became eligible for parole and was released early in February 2026 after serving approximately 11 months of his formal prison term. However, 11 months is also no less, as Velasquez had adapted to a certain way of living. And after moving out of the prison, he now wants to lead a new life in a new way.

Apart from that, Velasquez received a lot of support in the case proceedings from the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Daniel Cormier, among others. Surely, the former UFC heavyweight was charged with attempted murder. Despite that, why do people from the community stand behind him?

Joe Rogan explains his support for Cain Velasquez

While Cain Velasquez was charged for his actions, Harry Goularte is still undergoing court proceedings. The allegations are quite serious, considering Velasquez’s son was just four years of age. But, Goularte, even after these years, has not pleaded guilty to his actions.

While the court is looking into the intricacies of the case, the MMA community has already rallied against the accused. And for that, even Joe Rogan shared his thoughts on why Velasquez’s actions were justified.

“He did what every father would’ve done,” said Rogan on JRE MMA Show #166. “If you’re not a father. You do not understand the murderous rage you’d have if some man molested your baby… If there’s ever a person who could justifiably say, ‘I was temporarily insane,’ it’s a father chasing after someone, especially a man, who molests your boy. Everybody understands it. Everybody understands it. He should’ve never gone to jail. He’s not a threat to society. He’s not a danger.”

Interestingly, after getting sentenced, Velasquez also apologized for his actions towards Goularte and his stepfather. And as it seems, he is now very content with his life, especially after his prison release. As such, the former UFC heavyweight now just wants to spend time with his family and expresses gratitude towards all the support he received.