UFC's Daniel Rodriguez Details Time In Mexican Prison, Friends In 'High Places'

UFC welterweight Daniel Rodriguez detailed his experience living in a Mexican prison. 

Rodriguez recently revealed that he had spent eight months in a prison in Tijuana shortly after his July 2025 win over Kevin Holland, going on to reveal that he was pulled over by Mexican Border Patrol in possession of less than an ounce of marijuana. After trying to pay his way out of the situation, Rodriguez and his associate in the vehicle were charged with drug smuggling. 

"This was my first time in a Mexican jail," he told Ariel Helwani of his sentence. "I can tell you one thing for sure, it's the worst. It's just the worst possible situation. 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 work out equipment there, and I was able to work out and try to stay safe."

Rodriguez said they were only allowed out twice a week, and he would spent the most of that time running laps. He said that the worst part was the food, and he feels unhealthy and malnourished coming out of it, especially when compared to his fighting condition immediately after the Holland fight.

"I think that was the toughest part, the nutrition there, I'm coming off that big fight and my body was like healthy, in the best shape ever. And then to be thrown, locked in a jail cell and just put in one spot and just given the bare minimum food to eat was terrible, man."

Rodriguez said he shared a cell with two people in high places, and they looked out for him. He reasoned that everybody loves a fighter and said he was put in one of the best situations he could have been in.

"My first 12 days I was in a six man cell with like 25 people in there. Dudes sleeping on the floor, two men per bunk, and I couldn't even sleep," he recalled. "It was just disgusting in there. It's horrible. Fortunately word got around that I was in there and I got shot up to the VIP section."

"What happened was I went to court one day, my first court date, and one of the guards recognized me and started asking me for pictures. So all the guards are right there taking pictures. Some of the inmates saw that," Rodriguez reasoned. He went on to say, "In the back of my mind, I had a sense like, I think this guy's using me as protection. I'm kind of like his bodyguard or something like that. But I just ran with it."

When asked what kind of privileges he was given, Rodriguez said he didn't want to "burn the spot" for people still in the prison. He said those little things go a long way and he was fortunate to have them, although it wasn't cheap.