Daniel Rodriguez is on a three-fight win streak in the UFC’s welterweight division, but a recent stint in a Mexican jail cell slowed his momentum down in 2025.
Shortly after his last victory over Kevin Holland last July, ‘D-Rod’ was arrested while attempting to take a small amount of marijuana across the border into Mexico. He spent eight months locked up in Tijuana following his arrest, but despite some very dark times, he managed to make use of his days spent behind bars.
During a recent interview, Rodriguez recounted the time in jail, expressing it was the “worst possible situation” and found it hard to stay healthy surviving on non nutrient rich food. Now with the experience behind him, he is ready to return to the UFC and continue the momentum that was halted by the prolonged ordeal.
“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.
“I think the worst part about the whole thing was the food. I felt a little bit unhealthy, a little malnourished. I think that was the toughest part, is the nutrition. I was coming off that big fight and my body was healthy and the best shape ever, and then to be thrown and locked in a jail cell and just put in one spot and just getting the bare minimum food to eat, it was terrible.”
(h/t Sherdog)