Cain
Velasquez will be in the corner of American Kickboxing Academy
teammate Usman
Nurmagomedov at
Bellator 300 on Saturday.
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Velasquez, who is
expected to go on trial for attempted murder in January,
received permission to work the event through a court order, which
was initially confirmed by California State Athletic Commission
executive director Andy Foster
to
MMAFighting.com on Monday. While Velasquez has traveled for
sponsorship duties and to appear on a professional wrestling card,
this will be his first time cornering a fight since his arrest in
February 2022.
Velasquez is facing attempted murder and other charges after
allegedy chasing and shooting at Harry Goularte, who has been
accused of molesting Velasquez’s young son. During a high-speed
chase, Velasquez fired at the vehicle containing Goularte and
allegedly hit and injured his stepfather, Paul Bender. Velasquez
has pleaded not guilty to the charges. If found guilty, he faces 20
years to life in prison.
Velasquez was released on released on $1 million bail in November
after spending eight months in a holding facility. He remains under
GPS surveillance and cannot leave his home without the court’s
permission, which he was granted to attend Bellator 300. Last week,
Velasquez’s trial-setting date was extended to Dec. 6 with the
understanding that the trial date would be set for sometime in
mid-to-late January at the next hearing.
Velasquez, a former UFC heavyweight champion, retired from MMA in
2019 with a 14-3 career mark. He was part of AKA’s rise to
prominence along with the likes of Daniel
Cormier, Luke
Rockhold, Khabib
Nurmagomedov and Josh
Thomson, among others.
Bellator 300 takes place on Saturday at Pechanga Arena in San
Diego, California. Nurmagomedov will defend his lightweight belt
against Brent
Primus in a lightweight grandprix semifinal in the evening’s
featured bout. The main card airs on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m.
PT.