Daniel Rodriguez has addressed the speculation surrounding his recent absence from the UFC after spending months out of the spotlight.
Back in July, ‘D-Rod’ earned a dominant decision win over Kevin Holland at UFC 318, extending his win streak to three and returning him to the top 15 of the welterweight rankings.
The victory came at a crucial time. Rodriguez had been coming off three straight defeats, and there were questions about his future in the promotion. But with that performance, he seemed to have steadied things again.
But then Rodriguez went quiet. Nine months passed without a fight or an update, leading to plenty of rumours and theories about what might have happened behind the scenes.
Daniel Rodriguez admits to spending the last 8 months in a Tijuana prison
This week, Rodriguez reappeared on social media, revealing that he’d been locked up in a Tijuana prison for the past eight months.
“8 months in a cage in Tijuana, Mexico, never killed my spirit, I did everything possible to stay on point and ready for my return to the UFC Octagon, expect a hungrier, more focused version of myself,” Rodriguez said on Instagram.
He added: “They tried to take it all away, now it’s time for me to come back and show you all the monster prison created.”
In his Instagram reel, Rodriguez included clips of himself training inside his cell, working pads with fellow inmates and even using what appeared to be a makeshift speed bag.
Sean Strickland commented under the post: “Bro, your cell is nicer than my first apartment.”
Rodriguez replied: “My cellmate ran the whole prison. I was in the VIP section.”
Earlier this week, Holland stirred up more rumours by claiming he’d bailed Rodriguez out of jail to set up a rematch. However, Rodriguez seemed to dismiss this claim by sharing it on social media along with laughing emojis.
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