Ex-UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
The 39-year old was involved in a shooting incident in San Jose on Monday afternoon. Police were called after a person was shot near a local high school at around 3pm.
San Jose police confirmed on Tuesday that Velasquez was booked into Santa Clara County Jail for attempted murder.
"The motive and circumstances surrounding this incident are still under investigation at this time," police said. It's believed a court date has been set for Wednesday morning, local time.
Velasquez made his mixed martial arts debut in 2006 for the Strikeforce promotion, before making his first UFC appearance 18-months later.
He fought seven times for UFC before capturing the heavyweight title with TKO of Brock Lesnar in 2010. He surrendered the belt little over a year later in his next fight with Junior Dos Santos.
4/ Cain Velasquez was the suspect arrested yesterday in connection with this incident. He was booked into Santa Clara County main jail for attempted murder.
The motive and circumstances surrounding this incident are still under investigation at this time. pic.twitter.com/bBuuPQytNx— San José Police Media Relations (@SJPD_PIO) March 1, 2022
Velasquez won the title back from Dos Santos at UFC 155 in late 2012, defending it twice, before submitting to Fabricio Werdum in 2015.
His last fight in the UFC was a losing effort to Francis Ngannou in 2019, and he's since transitioned to professional wrestling.
A lifelong fan, Velasquez debuted for the AAA promotion in Mexico at Triplemanía XXVII in August of 2019.
A couple of months later, he hooked up with WWE who booked him in a match with old foe Lesnar at their Crown Jewel pay-per-view in Saudi Arabia.
His run with Vince McMahon's company was short and uneventful, and he was quietly released from his deal in April of 2020 amid pandemic-related cutbacks.
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