dailyloe.com – UFC fighter Daniel Rodriguez has broken his silence after spending the last eight months incarcerated in a Mexican prison. Rodriguez, 39, revealed the ordeal on social media last week and detailed it on ‘The Ariel Helwani Show’ on Monday. The veteran welterweight was arrested while on a vacation trip to Mexico two weeks after his UFC 318 win in July. He was caught with a small bag of marijuana at the border.
Rodriguez told Uncrowned he forgot he had the bag of weed with him. He said it was under an ounce when border patrol pulled him over and checked. He initially thought he would only be in jail for a weekend or overnight. Rodriguez said the laws in Mexico are different and they do not play games.
What he thought would be a short stay turned into an eight-month imprisonment. Rodriguez described it as the worst possible situation and the most horrible situation. He said it happened during the prime and smack of his career. This was his first time in a Mexican jail.
Rodriguez recalled getting a gut feeling before approaching the border. He considered tossing the bag ahead of time but did not listen. According to Rodriguez, the car he was driving lacked tags on the front license plate. This prompted border control to conduct a search.
Rodriguez’s friend was also arrested and put in prison for eight months. Rodriguez said he had a wallet full of cash with him at the time. He tried to see if he could catch a break or if they could help him out. He noted it was not the police but the border patrol and National Guard.
Rodriguez said they do not play games and he did not realize they take it so seriously. He mentioned there are usually opportunities to get out of certain situations in Mexico. He was hoping for that opportunity but it did not materialize. His arrest followed a three-fight win streak culminating at UFC 318 against Kevin Holland.
Rodriguez had endured a three-fight skid from 2022 to 2024 before that rebound. He has been a ghost in the MMA world since his win last July. His disappearance caused the MMA world to wonder where he had vanished to. His revelation last week came as a big surprise to many.[]
Source: Yahoo Sports
