Explore the latest developments concerning UFC's Daniel Rodriguez.
UFC's Daniel Rodriguez breaks silence after spending past 8 months in Mexican prison: 'It was the most horrible situation'
Daniel Rodriguez intended to celebrate his latest UFC win under much better circumstances than he did. Instead, a short weekend trip turned into a long, nightmarish eight months.
After enduring a three-fight skid from 2022-24, the welterweight veteran rallied to rebound with three straight wins, culminating at UFC 318 against Kevin Holland last July. Rodriguez, 39, has been a ghost ever since, causing the MMA world to wonder where he vanished to. Last week, Rodriguez's answer came as a big surprise — he revealed on social media he'd been incarcerated in a Mexican prison in Tijuana.
Speaking Monday on "The Ariel Helwani Show," Rodriguez said he and a friend were on their way to Mexico for vacation two weeks after his Holland win. That's when everything went awry.
UFC fighter spent 8 months in Mexican prison: ‘The worst possible situation’
The UFC welterweight recently secured his release from a Mexican jail after being imprisoned for eight months due to an arrest at the border when he was caught in possession of marijuana. Rodriguez was coming off of his third straight win, a unanimous decision over Kevin Holland at UFC 318 this past July, when his 2025 campaign was abruptly cut short.
During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Rodriguez recounted his harrowing experience.
“This is my first time in Mexican jail and I can tell you one thing for sure, it’s the worst possible situation,” Rodriguez said. “Fortunately, I was able to make the best of it. I was able to pull a couple of strings and get a little bit of workout equipment there and I was able to work out and try and stay in shape, but it’s not the same. We only went to yard twice a week and those days were the only days I would get to run. I spent the whole time running, I probably looked like a crazy ass dude out there just running laps and laps and laps and laps, but it was only twice a week.
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UFC's Daniel Rodriguez explains why he spent months in Tijuana prison
UFC fighter Daniel Rodriguez is now free to resume his fighting career after spending over half a year in a Mexico prison.
Rodriguez, a veteran of the UFC's welterweight division, was released last week from a prison in Tijuana, Mexico, after being arrested for possession of marijuana last summer. Two weeks after pulling off a thrilling upset over Kevin Holland at UFC 318 in July 2025, Rodriguez went to Rosarito, Mexico, to celebrate his win. However, he never made it to the coast, as he was stopped and arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border.
"I went on vacation across the border to Mexico, and I forgot I had a little bag of weed with me," Rodriguez told Ariel Helwani. "It was under an ounce. I got pulled over at the line and got checked, and man, the border patrol was tripping on the weed. I was thinking I was only going to be in there probably the weekend, maybe a little bit shorter, but the laws over there in Mexico are way different. They don't play no games. What I thought was going to be probably a little weekend or overnight turned into eight months right in the prime of my career. Yeah, man. That was it."
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