Daniel Rodriguez has broken his silence after spending eight months in a Mexican prison. The UFC welterweight had intended to celebrate his latest win under better circumstances. Instead, a short weekend trip turned into a nightmarish ordeal.
Rodriguez, 39, rebounded from a three-fight losing streak with three straight wins, including one against Kevin Holland at UFC 318 last July. His disappearance had caused speculation within the MMA community. Rodriguez revealed last week on social media that he had been incarcerated in Tijuana.
The Border Stop Gone Wrong
Speaking on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” Rodriguez explained that he and a friend were travelling to Mexico for a vacation two weeks after his win against Holland when things went wrong.
“I went on vacation to cross the border of Mexico,” Rodriguez said. “Forgot I had a little bag of weed with me, man. It was under an ounce and got pulled over at the line and got checked — the border patrol were tripping on the weed.”
Rodriguez initially believed he would only be detained for the weekend, but the reality was far different. “I was thinking I was only going to be in [jail] there for probably the weekend, maybe a little bit shorter, but the laws over there out there in Mexico, they’re way different. They don’t play no games. So what I was thinking would be a little weekend or maybe overnight turned into eight months, man. And the prime and the smack of my career, man.”
A Gut Feeling Ignored
Rodriguez recalled having a bad feeling before reaching the border. He considered throwing away the cannabis but didn’t, which proved costly. The car he was driving also lacked a front license plate, prompting a search by border control. Rodriguez’s friend was also arrested and imprisoned for eight months.
“Usually, there’s opportunities to get yourself out of certain situations over there in Mexico,” Rodriguez said. “I was hoping for that. I had a wallet full of cash with me at the time, and I tried to see if I could catch a break. I tried to see if they could help me out. It wasn’t the police — it was actually the border patrol, the National Guard. They don’t play no games. I didn’t realize that they take it so seriously, and potentially, they hit me with a smuggling charge. So over there, I guess that’s a really big deal. And I tried to offer some money to get me out right there on the spot, but they weren’t going for it, man.”
Rodriguez added, “They tried to make an example out of me. I was trying to keep a low profile, trying not to let them know who I am and who I was. And it didn’t work out — it didn’t work out the way I wanted it to, man.”
‘The Most Horrible Situation’
Rodriguez described his experience in the Mexican prison as horrific. “It was the most horrible situation you can think of.”
This wasn’t Rodriguez’s first time in prison, having previously been incarcerated during his youth. However, he found the experience in Mexico significantly different and, at times, felt hopeless.
Rodriguez’s intended celebration of his UFC win took a drastically different turn, resulting in an eight-month ordeal.