Cain Velasquez returns to training at American Kickboxing Academy after serving time in prison
Cain Velasquez was released from jail on a one-million-dollar bail in November 2022 after being arrested for attempted murder in February of the same year.
Harry Goularte, an employee at the daycare center where Velasquez's four-year-old attended, was accused of sexually assaulting the minor, which instigated the former UFC champion's attack. Goularte has since been charged.
Velasquez was a stalwart of the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) during his prime alongside Daniel Cormier, Luke Rockhold and Khabib Nurmagomedov. The former heavyweight champion has now returned to AKA following his release.
Head coach of AKA, Javier Mendez, recently uploaded footage to his YouTube channel of Cain Velasquez's return. The pair shared some friendly banter upon the former champion's arrival, before Velasquez began working with current Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov.
Mendez said:
"Hey, you just can't walk past me without saying anything. Who are you? What are you doing here? I don't recognize you."
Cain Velasquez replied with the following:
"I'm home. What are you doing? You're the stranger."
Watch the video below:
Velasquez was arrested after allegedly firing his gun at a vehicle carrying Harry Goularte and his stepfather Paul Bender, who sustained non-fatal injuries from the shooting.
The former champion was denied bail on multiple occasions prior to his release. He must now wear a GPS tracker at all times as per the bail agreement.
Many prominent figures in the MMA community showed public support for Velasquez. UFC president Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Henry Cejudo, Islam Makhachev and even Bellator CEO Scott Coker all wrote letters in support of the heavyweight, which were shown to the judge by Velasquez's lawyer.
Nurmagomedov, a fellow teammate at AKA, stated that he would visit Cain Velasquez in jail during an interview with TMZ Sports several months ago.
Watch the interview below:
Cain Velasquez details how he started training at American Kickboxing Academy
Cain Velasquez began training at AKA in 2006 and is still honing his skills at the prestigious martial arts gym. Velasquez joined the gym after two years of collegiate wrestling.
The former UFC champion shared the training room with legends such as Daniel Cormier and Khabib Nurmagomedov. AKA also houses some of this generation's best crop of fighters, including Islam Makhachev and both Usman and Umar Nurmagomedov.
Javier Mendez recently spoke to Velasquez on his podcast, where the former UFC champion detailed how he ended up training at AKA:
"I knew I wanted to start fighting once I was done with college. My coach at the time, Tom Ortiz, was good friends with DeWayne Zinkin, one of the managers at AKA. I just knew [that] once I graduated I would go out to AKA."
Watch the interview below: