The relationship between the UFC and US President Donald Trump is pretty public. The 78-year-old has established a close relationship with Dana White, spanning over a couple of decades, and during his recent inauguration ceremony, the UFC CEO was present at the Capitol Building. After he took charge of the office, Trump received an unexpected request, but it wasn’t from White.

Team Khabib’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, recently posted a tweet bringing up the legal issues of former UFC champion and AKA’s own, Cain Velasquez. The former heavyweight champion is currently facing several severe charges that emanated from an incident back in 2022. Apparently, he was in a car chase in an attempt to catch up to the man that Velasquez accused of assaulting his son. The 41-year-old proceeded to fire shotgun shots which ended up hitting another person who was in the car with the accused – his stepfather.

When presented in front of the court, the former UFC champion had nothing to say about what transpired and ended up pleading no contest to the charges against him. He’s now awaiting trial while being out of prison since 2022, after a $1 million bond. Apparently, Ali Abdelaziz believes Cain Velasquez should have all the charges dropped, and he also believes that Donald Trump is the right man for the job. “Trump need to Pardon Cain Velasquez @TeamKhabib] @joerogan @danawhite,” Abdelaziz tweeted.

Velasquez’s former manager even tagged Joe Rogan and Dana White to extend the message, but can President Trump really help out? Well, it seems like Ali Abdelaziz’s request may not get approved. Let’s take a look at that front.

Can Donald Trump legally help Cain Velasquez?

Donald Trump, as the US President, only has jurisdiction on a federal level. According to Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, the POTUS can only grant pardon “for offenses against the United States.” When it comes to the UFC legend, the crime committed by Cain Velasquez appears to be a state crime, and the only person who has the power to grant pardons in this situation is the governor of the state.

When fans on the internet came across Abdelaziz’s post on X, they were quick to chime in as one user claimed that Donald Trump could discuss the situation with California governor Gavin Newsom, or provide something in exchange for Cain Velasquez’s pardon. Meanwhile, the former UFC champion has reportedly received a new date for his trial, and it’s in a few days – 24 January – as reported by MMA Junkie.

Before the judges granted Cain Velasquez the aforementioned million-dollar bond, the heavyweight legend spent more than a couple of hundred days in prison. Moreover, the application for his bail from his lawyer was accepted after three prior rejections.

When Cain Velasquez’s UFC career ended, he was pretty active in professional wrestling, performing for Mexican promotion, AAA. Now, it seems like his wrestling stint has come to a halt as well. It remains to be seen how and if Donald Trump responds to this request to grant the former champion pardon for his offense.