Former ASU Athlete, UFC Champ Velasquez Arrested After Shooting

SAN JOSE, CA —Former UFC heavyweight champion and Arizona State wrestling star Cain Velasquez was arrested Monday in connection with a shooting in San Jose, California, the San Jose Police Department announced Tuesday morning.

Velasquez, 39, was arrested on an attempted murder charge and booked into the Santa Clara County Jail, where he is being held without bail, according to ESPN. He had a court date set for Wednesday.

The San Jose Police Department said Monday that a man had been shot at least once and transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening-injuries. The department said a suspect was in custody.

Tuesday morning, San Jose police identified Velasquez as the suspect arrested in connection with the incident, and a booking photo of Velasquez was published on Twitter.

"The motive and circumstances surrounding this incident are still under investigation at this time," San Jose police said in a statement.

Velasquez was born in California and raised in Yuma before becoming a two-time All-American with the ASU wrestling program. He placed fourth in the heavyweight division at the 2006 NCAA Championships and fifth in the heavyweight division at the 2005 championships.

A 2006 ASU grad with a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies, Velasquez went on to become a two-time UFC heavyweight champion, holding the title in 2010-11 and again from 2012-15.

According to ESPN, Velasquez is considered one of the top heavyweight fighters of all time.

Since retiring from UFC in 2019, Velasquez has been coaching at his American Kickboxing Academy gym in San Jose. He also performed as a professional wrestler in the U.S. and Mexico.