MMA Notebook: Velasquez Arrested for Attempted Murder; Ukraine Crisis Impacts MMA

The San Jose Police Department announced Tuesday morning that it had arrested former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez for attempted murder.

Velasquez has his first court date on Wednesday. Police are holding him without bail.

Police identify Velasquez as shooter in Monday incident

The arrest followed a shooting in the city on Monday evening. One adult male went to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after another man shot him. Police have identified Velasquez as the shooter in that incident.

“The motives and circumstances surrounding this incident are still under investigation at this time,” The San Jose Police said, via a public Twitter account.

Velasquez won the UFC heavyweight championship twice. He retired from professional MMA in 2019, and has been coaching at American Kickboxing Academy since. He has also performed in multiple professional wrestling promotions, including WWE.

Makhachev angling for title shot after latest win

Islam Makhachev defeated late replacement opponent Bobby Green via first-round TKO on Saturday night in Las Vegas, a win that could propel the Dagestani fighter into the lightweight title picture.

Brown took the fight on short notice – and just two weeks after his last bout – after Beneil Dariush withdrew with an injury. That robbed Makhachev of an opportunity to defeat an elite lightweight to make his case as a championship contender.

But Makhachev (21-1) still looked impressive. He dominated the fight from start to finish, taking Green to the ground and taking his back before landing big shots to force Herb Dean to stop the fight at just 3:23 into the first round.

“I just want a title fight,” Makhachev said afterwards. “I’m tired of all these things. I need title fight. I’m ready. I’m here.”

If Makhachev is next in line, he will have to wait for a May 9 fight between current champion Charles Oliveira and challenger Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 first.

UK sanctions could stop Volkov fight at UFC London

Alexander Volkov is set to headline UFC London on March19 against Tom Aspinall. But the United Kingdom is banning teams and athletes from Russia from competing in the country in the wake of the nation’s invasion of Ukraine, a move that could scuttle the bout.

UFC president Dana White said he attempted to get Volkov into the UK ahead of any sanctions, but that Volkov did not want to leave Russia early.

“Like I tell you guys all the time, just when you think the world’s about to get normal again, it gets even nuttier,” White told TSN. “I have no idea what’s going to happen with Russia and all these other things. I don’t know.”

Future sanctions could also impact bantamweight champion Petr Yan, who is set to defend his belt in April at UFC 273 in Jacksonville, Florida. Yan is a -400 favorite in that fight, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

Amosov staying in Ukraine

Bellator welterweight champion Yaroslav Amosov posted a video to Instagram on Saturday to say that he took his family to safety, but plans to stay in Ukraine to fight for his country.

“I have returned and will defend this country as best I can, with what I can,” Amosov said. “We are in a real war. I cannot understand those people who do not believe that Russian troops entered Ukraine. I see it with my own eyes, I hear it. Terrible things are happening here.”

The 28-year-old Amosov has compiled a perfect 26-0 record in his professional MMA career, including a 7-0 mark in Bellator.