Sean Strickland reacts to Cain Velasquez’s prison release with a rant against the US legal system

Sean Strickland does not believe the UFC heavyweight legend should have been behind bars to begin with.

The former UFC middleweight champion is among those pleased to see Cain Velasquez reunited with his family after over 300 days.

Velasquez walked out of California state prison last Sunday, having been sentenced to jail time in March 2025 after pleading no contest to felony attempted murder, assault and weapons charges.

Velasquez was charged after an incident in which he shot at the car of Harry Goularte, a man accused of molesting his son. The ex-UFC star struck Goularte’s father, who was present in the vehicle.

Following the heavyweight legend’s arrest, a host of UFC and MMA figures expressed support for Velasquez and dismay at his punishment — and Strickland is still furious about what transpired.

Sean Strickland thinks Cain Velasquez’s prison sentence was a ‘stain’ on the United States

It is not a Strickland fight week without a number of rants, and that trend has not stopped ahead of Saturday’s UFC Houston event.

Before he headlines the card against Anthony Hernandez, Strickland has targeted the UFC over fighter pay, Bad Bunny and the NFL over the Super Bowl halftime show, and Ronda Rousey’s MMA comeback against Gina Carano.

The latest to enter Strickland’s sights were those who chose to put Velasquez in prison.

During an interview with Complex, the polarizing American reacted to the ex-heavyweight champ’s release by blasting his imprisonment as a “stain” on his country.

“Yeah dude, hell yeah,” Strickland said when asked for his thoughts on Velasquez’s release.

“The fact that he went to jail…that’s the problem.

“Back in the (day), man…it would make you a hero. Now it makes you go to jail for what? I think he did over a year,” he added.

“It’s a stain on this country.”