Rodriguez spent eight months in a prison in Tijuana, training when possible through running, limited yard time, and boxing drills/ Image: Instagram
It’s the stuff of movies: an athlete at the peak of his momentum suddenly pulled out of competition, cut off from the sport and forced into an entirely different kind of struggle. For Daniel Rodriguez, that kind of transformation arrived at the very height of his momentum.Daniel Rodriguez had just steadied his career and returned to form inside the UFC’s welterweight division when he vanished from it. In July 2025, he beat Kevin Holland by unanimous decision, extending a three-fight winning streak and re-establishing himself in a crowded division. Within weeks, he was no longer active, no longer visible, and, as it later emerged, no longer free.Eight months later, Rodriguez finally spoke publicly, pointing back to a border crossing as the beginning of it all.
Speaking after his release from a prison in Tijuana, he described a situation that began as a short trip and extended into what he called “the most horrible situation you can think of,” at a point he described as “the prime and the smack of my career.”
A late rise and a defined place in the UFC
Rodriguez, known as “D-Rod,” competes in the UFC’s welterweight division, where he is ranked No. 14. As of April 2026, he holds a professional MMA record of 20–5, including a 10–4 run in the Ultimate Fighting Championship since his debut in 2020.
His trajectory has not been linear. Between 2022 and 2024, he went through a three-fight skid before reversing course with consecutive wins over Alex Morono (split decision), Santiago Ponzinibbio (third-round finish), and Kevin Holland (unanimous decision at UFC 318 in July 2025). That sequence placed him back into contention in a division that, by early 2026, had become one of the UFC’s most competitive.It was from that position, ranked, active, and on a winning streak, that Rodriguez’s absence began.
The arrest and the eight months that followed
Recalling how it began, Rodriguez said in an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show that what was supposed to be a short vacation took a turn for the worse:“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. I got pulled over at the line and got checked, and the border patrol were tripping on the weed.”What he expected to be nothing more than a brief detention, something measured in hours or, at most, a weekend, soon gave way to a far more serious reality.“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.”He described it as a simple misread of how things work, based on what he was used to back home “I never thought twice, coming from here in California, in Las Vegas, the cops don’t even worry about that stuff,” he said.
“Went over to Mexico, and I guess in Mexico it’s not even legal yet. So they tried to throw the book at me.”According to Rodriguez, the stop began with a vehicle issue. “The car I was driving didn’t have any tags on the front license plate,” he said, which led to a search. Both he and a friend were arrested and remained in custody for the same period.He also described attempts to resolve the situation at the point of arrest. “I had a wallet full of cash with me at the time, and I tried to see if I could catch a break,” he said.
“It wasn’t the police, it was actually the border patrol, the National Guard. They don’t play no games… I tried to offer some money to get me out right there on the spot, but they weren’t going for it.”At one stage, he believed authorities were pursuing a more serious charge. “They hit me with a smuggling charge,” he said. “So over there, I guess that’s a really big deal.”The case extended well beyond his expectations. “They tried to make an example out of me,” he said.
“I was trying to keep a low profile… and it didn’t work out.”
Inside the prison: routine, limits, and adaptation
Rodriguez has spoken previously about incarceration earlier in his life, but he drew a distinction between that experience and what he encountered in Mexico.“This was my first time in a Mexican jail and I can tell you one thing, it’s the worst possible situation,” he said.Daily life followed a narrow structure, with access to the yard limited to just twice a week.
“Those days were the only days I would get to run,” he said. “I spent the whole time running… just running laps and laps and laps.” Finding time to exercise inside the cell was also a challenge, though Rodriguez said he was able to sharpen his technique at times thanks to a cellmate with boxing experience.
Rodriguez shared clips showing prison training, including running, shadowboxing, and improvised workouts, announcing his release/ Instagram
Food, he said, became one of the defining constraints. “The worst part about the whole thing was the food. I feel a little bit unhealthy, a little malnourished,” he said, describing meals consisting of “low-protein soups” alongside tortillas, rice, beans, carrots and potatoes.“I was coming off that big fight and my body was healthy and in the best shape ever, and then to [be] thrown in there and locked in a jail cell… and just given the bare minimum of food to eat, it just was terrible,” he said. “The living conditions were horrible.”Despite that, he described finding limited ways to maintain routine and contact. He said he managed to obtain certain privileges—what he referred to as “VIP” status, which allowed him to communicate with family and continue some form of training, including working with a cellmate who had boxing experience.“I was fortunate to have some of that… I just needed support,” he said, while declining to elaborate further. “I don’t want to give away too much… those little things go a long ways.”Rodriguez also said that attempts were made externally to intervene. He mentioned that fellow fighter Yair Rodriguez and the UFC itself tried to assist, but “the Mexican government, they weren’t having it.”He was initially told he might be released in March. The eventual outcome came later, and through a process he chose not to detail.
“I can’t really speak on the details of it… it came at a price,” he said.
Release, return, and the fights he is asking for
Rodriguez announced his release through social media, posting a video that showed him training inside the prison, working a punch bag and hitting mitts in a hallway as he kept himself in shape ahead of a return to fighting.“8 months in a cage in Tijuana Mexico never killed my spirit , I did everything possible to stay on point and ready for my return to the @ufc octagon, expect a hungrier more focused version of myself,” he wrote.
“They tried to take it all away now it’s time for me to comeback and show you all the monster prison created.”
Since returning, he has indicated that he intends to resume his career within a defined timeframe, suggesting roughly three months to regain full condition before taking a fight.“There’s some good offers,” he said. “Kevin Holland tried to slide in my DMs yesterday and I’m not interested in that. I already beat him… I really want to shoot for the stars… we’re possibly looking at a matchup versus Leon Edwards,” referring to former UFC champion Leon Edwards.
