Cain Velasquez speaks out for the first time about life in jail (Video)

Former UFC champion Cain Velasquez spent eight long months in jail after being arrested for attempted murder in 2022. Velasquez was constantly denied bail for the crime.

In March 2022, Velasquez was accused of chasing down the man accused of molesting his four-year-old son and opening fire from a moving vehicle, hitting the man's father who was driving him to be fitted for a tracking device.

Now, having finally been given bail as he awaits his 2024 trial, Velasquez is speaking out about his time behind bars.

“I went in – it was kind of like, for me, I took the opportunity. I’ve never been alone, really, for a long time. I really need to be alone, take care of whatever. So they asked me if I wanted to go to [into protective custody], so I said let me go to PC, and let’s see what this is about, and go from there," Velasquez said on the JAXXON PODCAST.

“Each day, we’re never really the same," he continued. "Each moment, when you look at something, like a tree, something so small like that, that tree will never look like that, ever again, except for that moment that you’re looking at it. It will never be the same, how the leaves are, how the wind is blowing. If you want to go that deep, it will never be the same again, except for that one moment. So take the time, appreciate that moment was for you."

Cain Velasquez says his time behind bars helped him to realize 'we’re so down on the dumbest things'

Velasquez was released on a $1 million bond in November 2023 and is being monitored by GPS, undergoing outpatient treatment for CTE and under a protective order. He's been granted permission to travel to both Bellator 300 to corner an athlete and to a wrestling show earlier this year.

If convicted, he faces 20 years or more behind bars, something that he knows something about.

“We’re so blessed every day, and we’re so down on the dumbest things,” he said. “When s*** gets taken away, you realize, ‘Oh, I had all this, I had all this.’ I had the opportunity to just leave when I wanted to. Leave in my car and go outside, look at something, look at nature. Have the opportunity to go look at something like that and appreciate the day."

He continued, “Each day, we’re never really the same. Each moment, when you look at something, like a tree, something so small like that, that tree will never look like that, ever again, except for that moment that you’re looking at it. It will never be the same, how the leaves are, how the wind is blowing. If you want to go that deep, it will never be the same again, except for that one moment. So take the time, appreciate that moment was for you."

44-year-old Harry Goularte, the man accused of molestation, will go on trial sometime after Velasquez in 2024.