UFC’s Daniel Rodriguez breaks silence after spending past 8 months in…

UFC’s Daniel Rodriguez breaks silence after spending past 8 months in…

Daniel Rodriguez supposed to have fun his latest UFC win under a lot better circumstances than he did. Instead, a brief weekend journey became an extended, 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, inflicting the MMA world to surprise the place he vanished to. Last week, Rodriguez’s reply got here as a big shock — he revealed on social media that he’d been incarcerated in a Mexican jail in Tijuana.

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Speaking Monday on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” Rodriguez said that he and a good friend had been on their technique to Mexico for trip two weeks after his Holland win. That’s when every part went awry.

“I went on vacation to cross the border of Mexico,” Rodriguez told Uncrowned. “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.

“I used to be pondering I used to be only going to be in [jail] there for in all probability the weekend, possibly a little bit bit shorter, however the legal guidelines over there out there in Mexico, they’re method different. They do not play no games. So what I used to be pondering can be a little bit weekend or possibly in a single day, became eight months, man. And the prime and the smack of my profession, man.

(*8*)

Rodriguez recalled getting a intestine feeling before approaching the border. Despite contemplating tossing the bag ahead of time, he did not hear, and it value him more than the worth of what was on his particular person.

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According to Rodriguez, the automobile he was driving did not have any tags on his entrance license plate, which prompted border management to conduct a search. Rodriguez’s good friend was also arrested and put in jail 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.

“They tried to make an instance out of me. I used to be making an attempt to maintain a low profile, making an attempt to not allow them to know who I’m and who I used to be. And it did not work out — it did not work out the method I wished it to, man.”

“It was the most horrible scenario you possibly can consider,” he added.

A trip to prison isn’t a new experience for Rodriguez, as he’s openly spoken about his time incarcerated in his youth. Mexico was different, though. At times, he felt hopeless and entirely unsure of when he’d return home, given the differences between the two countries’ judicial systems and concerns — or lack thereof — for his case.

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Rodriguez said he was originally supposed to be released in March. And while the extended stay exceeded any and all expectations, the UFC welterweight did his best to make do, managing to achieve “VIP” status among his fellow prisoners and the facility’s guards throughout his stay.

“To be trustworthy with you, man, it is just sure privileges,” Rodriguez said. “I do not need to give away an excessive amount of because some I do not need to burn the spot for some of the guys. They’re still dwelling in there, and those little issues go an extended methods.

“I was fortunate to have some of that, man. It’s not cheap, but I was able to communicate with my friends and family and a few loved ones. That’s pretty much all I needed, man. I just needed support. I didn’t expect to be in there that long. I mean, eight, almost nine months for a bag of weed is insane. I never thought twice, coming from here in California, in Las Vegas, the cops don’t even worry about that stuff, you know? Went over to Mexico, and I guess in Mexico it’s not even legal yet. So they tried to throw the book at me. It just took me all that time to work out a deal with them.”

Rodriguez might have had it better than others in small methods, as he talked about. But that did not make the total dwelling scenario all the more helpful, particularly for knowledgeable athlete.

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In phrases of a typical day’s meals, Rodriguez called it the “bare minimum,” dwelling off low-protein soups, and servings of tortillas, rice, beans, carrots and potatoes. Finding time to exercise was also a battle, however fortunately, Rodriguez’s cellmate occurred to have some boxing training, which allowed for some method sharpening each time potential.

“We only went to the yard like twice a week, and those days were the only days I would get to run,” Rodriguez said. “I spent the whole time running. I probably looked like a crazy-a** dude out there just running laps and laps and laps. But it’s only twice a week. I think the worst part about the whole thing was the food. I feel a little bit unhealthy, a little malnourished. I think that was the toughest part, the nutrition in there.

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“I used to be coming off that big fight and my physique was healthy and in the best form ever, and then to thrown [in there] and locked in a jail cell and just put in a single spot, and just given the naked minimal of meals to eat, it just was horrible, man. … The dwelling situations had been horrible.”

“In there, it is an entire other world,” he added.

Rodriguez said Mexican UFC featherweight Yair Rodriguez and even the UFC itself tried to “pull some strings” to help facilitate his release, but “the Mexican authorities, they weren’t having it.”

It could have been much worse for Rodriguez, and he’s aware of that, given the current global climate. Ultimately, he found his way to freedom, but not without striking a deal that left him short of words.

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“I am unable to actually converse on the particulars of it, but it surely’s — yeah, it got here at a worth,” Rodriguez said of the mechanisms that secured his release. “I do not even know if I can say that.”

Now, “D-Rod” is ready to turn the page back to his MMA career and keep his win streak alive.

The UFC welterweight division is hotter than it’s been in recent years, opening the door to several fun possibilities. Fresh off a win this past weekend, the aforementioned Holland has already contacted him for a rematch, Rodriguez revealed. Instead, Rodriguez is aiming bigger — like, former champion bigger.

“There’s some good gives. Kevin Holland tried to slip in my DMs yesterday, and I’m not enthusiastic about that. I already beat him,” Rodriguez said. “I do know he received [Saturday], however I actually need to shoot for the stars, man. I actually need to take this to the highest level potential. We’re probably a matchup versus Leon Edwards.

“Ideally, a solid three months, I’ll be ready.”

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