Dana White, MMA luminaries write dozens of letter in support of Cain Velasquez

UFC president Dana White and some of the best fighters in the world — like UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and retired former lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov — wrote letters in support of Cain Velasquez to the Santa Clara County (California) Superior Court last week.

Velasquez is being charged with attempted murder and nine other counts after targeting a man who is charged with molesting one of Velasquez's young relatives. Velasquez, the former two-time UFC heavyweight champion, is currently being held in prison without bail. Judge Shelyna Brown denied Velasquez bail at a hearing March 7.

In the 34 letters obtained by ESPN, the authors asked the court for leniency in Velasquez's case, many of them mentioning that Velasquez is a family man, has no criminal history and has been an exemplary friend, teammate and colleague over more than a decade as a professional fighter.

«I have known Mr. Velasquez for more than 15 years, and during his time as an active athlete with UFC, he represented our company with dignity and always treated others with respect,» White wrote. «He was a model example of how a professional athlete should carry himself, projecting a positive image to UFC's fanbase.»

In addition to White, Usman and Nurmagomedov, former UFC double champions Daniel Cormier and Henry Cejudo, former UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno, former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum, current Bellator MMA heavyweight champion Ryan Bader, UFC featherweight Yair Rodriguez, UFC middleweight Kelvin Gastelum, UFC lightweight Islam Makhachev and Bellator president Scott Coker wrote letters in support of Velasquez. So did prominent MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz of Dominance MMA.

Velasquez is a longtime teammate and friend