This week, the MMA world celebrated as former UFC champion Cain Velasquez received a positive update on his parole, which could now bring him home sooner than expected. Velasquez is serving a five-year sentence at a correctional facility in California for attempted murder, gun-related charges, and other offenses stemming from a 2022 shooting incident. Now, there’s further good news about it.

While the Santa Clara County court had originally set his parole eligibility for March 2026, the prison database recently reported that, due to his active participation in rehabilitation programs, officials could release him a month earlier, in February 2026, which his best friend and former training partner, Daniel Cormier, confirmed in his latest social media video.

“Cain wasn’t a danger,” Daniel Cormier hopes for his friend’s smooth return

Cain Velasquez spent years training at the American Kickboxing Academy under the guidance of renowned coach Javier Mendez, alongside champions such as Khabib Nurmagomedov and Luke Rockhold.

He rose to prominence in the gym alongside Daniel Cormier, forming a close bond with “DC.” Ahead of Christmas, ‘DC’ shared a message with the community, emphasizing that Cain Velasquez is not a dangerous person.

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“Cain Velasquez’s parole date was moved to February of next year. Let’s pray that the champ gets to come home and start his life anew after everything he’s been through these last few years. In the time that he was home, Cain wasn’t a danger to anyone; he was doing nothing more than coaching,” Daniel Cormier said on his YouTube channel.

“Hopefully, the news lifts his spirits as we approach the holiday season and he prepares to come home, ideally at the beginning of next year. Keep praying for Cain and continue your support. It looks like he could be nearing the end of this chapter in February,” Daniel Cormier added.

However, Velasquez’s early parole is not guaranteed and could change depending on his behavior and conduct while in custody.

Daniel Cormier has built a long-standing and deep friendship with Cain Velasquez. Back when ‘DC’ left the UFC’s heavyweight division, he partly did so to avoid a fight with Velasquez, while also managing his own weight-cut challenges.

Then, in 2018, when Cormier moved up to heavyweight to compete for his second title, Velasquez helped him prepare for his fight against Stipe Miocic at UFC 226, and the Louisiana native went on to win and become champion. This is just one chapter in the enduring friendship between Cormier and Velasquez.

So far, Velasquez has already spent over 1,200 days in custody, including time under house arrest. Meanwhile, Cormier had his own fighting update to share.

Daniel Cormier reveals what he misses most about fighting

Even in retirement, Daniel Cormier continues to play a vital role in the UFC as an on-mic analyst, sharing his insights alongside Joe Rogan and Jon Anik as part of the organization’s top commentary team. Still, what ‘DC’ misses most from his fighting career is the time he spent training with teammates like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Cain Velasquez rather than the battles inside the Octagon.

Although he retired from active competition after consecutive losses to Stipe Miocic, Daniel Cormier often reflects on the gym, the camaraderie, and the friendships he built at the American Kickboxing Academy.

“I don’t have anxiety about not training to fight. I miss the time I spent with my friends in the gym like Cain Velasquez, Luke Rockhold, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, Josh Thomson, and Jon Fitch. I miss the camaraderie of being in the gym with my friends,” Cormier told Warrior Code International.

Then, in September, during an appearance on the Aljamain Sterling Show, Cormier emphasized that his friend Cain Velasquez could have been the undefeated greatest heavyweight if injuries hadn’t cut his career short.

“If he didn’t have all those injuries, he would have been by far the greatest heavyweight of all time; no one could have beaten him.”

So, what do you think about Cormier’s perspective? Who do you consider the greatest UFC heavyweight of all time? Share your thoughts below.