Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez has been sentenced to five years in prison in connection with a February 2022 shooting incident, during which he fired a handgun at a vehicle carrying a man accused of sexually abusing his young son. The man’s stepfather, Paul Bender, sustained injuries as a result of the shooting.

Velasquez entered a no contest plea in August to felony attempted murder, assault, and a range of weapons-related offenses. Although sentenced to five years, he will receive credit for over three and a half years already served, eight months in jail followed by the rest under electronic monitoring. His legal team believes that, after credits are applied, Velasquez may serve approximately one additional year behind bars.

NBC’s Ian Cull reported that the victims in the case were “extremely disappointed” with the outcome, believing that the judge considered “unfounded allegations” during sentencing.

Velasquez was present in the Santa Clara, California courtroom on Monday as the sentence was handed down. His attorneys had requested that he be granted time served and placed on probation, while the prosecution had sought a sentence of 25 years to life in prison.

Prior to sentencing, Velasquez spoke about the situation during an appearance on The Kyle Kingsbury Podcast, expressing regret for his actions.

“The way that I handled things, that was not the way to do it,” Velasquez said. “We cannot put the law in our own hands.”