Daniel Rodriguez expected to spend the second half of 2025 building on the biggest win streak of his UFC career. Instead, the veteran welterweight disappeared from the public eye for eight months after being jailed in Tijuana, Mexico, following what he described as an accidental marijuana possession charge at the border.
Rodriguez, 39, revealed this week that the ordeal began just two weeks after his July 2025 victory over Kevin Holland at UFC 318. He and a friend were headed into Mexico for a brief vacation when border agents searched their vehicle and found less than an ounce of marijuana.
Rodriguez said the car had no front license plate tag, which prompted officers to stop and inspect it. Mexican authorities then charged him with drug smuggling, a far more serious offense than he anticipated.
“I was thinking I was only going to be in jail for probably the weekend,” Rodriguez said during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show. “But the laws over there in Mexico, they’re way different. They don’t play no games.”
What he believed would be a brief delay ultimately turned into nearly nine months behind bars in Tijuana. Rodriguez later called it “the worst possible situation.”
Before his imprisonment, Rodriguez had finally rebuilt his momentum after enduring a three-fight losing streak between 2022 and 2024. The California-born fighter had responded with three straight wins, including the Holland bout, and appeared to be moving back into contention in the crowded UFC welterweight division.
Before joining the UFC, Rodriguez had also openly discussed serving time in prison during his younger years, though he said his experience in Mexico was unlike anything he had previously faced.
Rodriguez said he initially believed he could resolve the matter quickly. He even admitted he attempted to offer money at the border in hopes of avoiding arrest, but said Mexico’s National Guard officers refused.
“They tried to make an example out of me,” Rodriguez said, adding that authorities treated the small amount of marijuana as a smuggling case.
Rodriguez also said his friend was arrested and remained incarcerated alongside him for the same eight-month period.
Inside the prison, Rodriguez said daily life was especially difficult because of the limited food and lack of opportunities to train. He described surviving on soups, tortillas, rice, beans, potatoes, and carrots, with little protein available.
Yard time came only twice a week, leaving him confined to his cell most of the time. Rodriguez said one positive came from his cellmate, who had boxing experience and helped him stay sharp while he waited for his case to move through Mexico’s legal system.
The UFC fighter eventually secured his release earlier this month after reaching an agreement he declined to fully explain. Rodriguez said fellow UFC fighter Yair Rodríguez and the UFC itself tried to help, but Mexican authorities remained firm.
Now back in the United States, Rodriguez says he is focused on resuming his career and has already set his sights on a potential fight with former UFC champion Leon Edwards within three months.
