'I just feel blessed:' Former UFC heavyweight fighter Cain Velasquez freed on bail
SAN JOSE, Calif. - After eight months behind bars on attempted murder and gun assault charges, former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was freed on $1 million bail, walking out of the Santa Clara County Jail four minutes before midnight on Tuesday.
A videographer captured Velasquez leaving the jail at 11:56 p.m. wearing a medical mask and black Nike jacket. He carried a paper bag and waved to someone inside the facility before exiting the door.
WATCH: Cain Velasquez walks out of jail
He also gave a friend in a white shirt and black cap a long hug, before the two walked out together.
Velasquez took off his mask and told the cameraman than he felt OK.
"I just feel blessed, ya know?" he said. "Ready to go home. Be with loved ones. Family. Make something positive of this whole situation."
He also thanked all those who supported him.
"I love all of you," he said.
Hours earlier, Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Arthur Bocanegra let Velasquez return home to his family, after three of his other bail requests had been denied.
Velasquez has been in jail since February after he chased a pickup carrying a man who sexually abused his 4-year-old son at a daycare center through busy streets in three Silicon Valley cities, ramming the vehicle with his own pickup truck during an 11-mile high-speed chase, prosecutors said.
Cain Velasquez hugs a friend before leaving Santa Clara County Jail. Nov. 8, 2022
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Velasquez fired a .40-caliber pistol at the vehicle several times, wounding the man’s stepfather, who was driving, in his arm and torso, prosecutors said.
In June, Velasquez sued Harry Goularte, alleging that he sexually molested is young son at the daycare run by Goularte's mother.
Goularte, 43, was charged with lewd and lascivious acts with a minor by the Santa Clara County district attorney’s office. He has pleaded not guilty.
Goularte was not injured when Velasquez fired his gun.
As a condition of his release, Velasquez must stay away from Goularte. The judge also ordered that Velasquez have outpatient Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, and traumatic brain injury counseling, as well as counseling for family of sex assault victims.
Celebrity attorney Mark Geragos, who is representing Velasquez, has repeatedly said that he planned on vindicating his client and getting him back with his family.
Velasquez transitioned to pro-wrestling after retiring from his MMA career in 2019. A former two-time UFC heavyweight champion, he earned title belts in 2010 and 2012.
The MMA community has steadfastly supported Velasquez throughout his arrest and incarceration.
At the time, UFC commentator Joe Rogan, tweeted: "I would have done the same thing if not worse."
Cain Velasquez posts $1 million bond and leaves jail in Santa Clara County. Nov. 8, 2022
The Associated Press and Jonathan Rivas of AIO Filmz contributed to this report.