MMA History Podcast #328: Rudy Silva Prison Interview – The Cocaine King of San Diego

In this raw and unfiltered prison interview, former fight promoter, City Boxing and Alliance MMA gym owner, and self-proclaimed Cocaine King of San Diego Rudy Silva opens up to Mike Davis like never before.

Rudy details his traumatic childhood, early days at City Boxing alongside Brandon Vera, Dean Lister, KJ Nunes, and Tyrone Glover, launching Alliance MMA with Vera, and his deep connections in the San Diego MMA scene. He speaks candidly about his relationships with Dominic Cruz, Jocko Willink, Dan Bilzerian, Justin Bieber, and the chaotic lifestyle that pulled him into the Tijuana Cartel world.

From gym politics and embezzlement drama to cartel dealings, robberies, a high-profile nightclub stabbing, bipolar struggles mixed with heavy cocaine use, family estrangement, and life in federal prison while appealing his sentence, Rudy holds nothing back.

This is a gripping, no-holds-barred look at the dark underbelly of early San Diego MMA — sex, drugs, violence, power, and regret from someone who lived it all at the highest levels of both the fight game and the streets.

A must-listen episode of The Other Side of the Cage prison interview series.

The MMA History Podcast is the only show dedicated 100% to preserving mixed martial arts history through interviews and stories from the men who lived it.

0:00 MMA history podcast intro

0:33 Joey Venti’s guest introduction

2:16 interview start

2:25 current life/

5:28 going through a break up

7:09 having a rough upbringing

10:16 becoming involved in drug distribution

12:01 selling memberships for City boxing

15:58 Urijah Faber and Mark Dion incident

19:07 kickboxer Alex Gong

19:53 Coach Oleg Larson

21:18 Boxing coach Manny Melchor

22:37 Coach Ernesto Martinez

25:51 kickboxer Danny Steele

26:04 leaving City boxing

28:54 opening up a gym

31:56 renting rooms out to fighters

34:29 introduction to the drug market

42:33 working for Total Combat

44:05 fight politics in Mexico

47:00 opening an Alliance Jiu jitsu gym

51:29 falling out with Brandon Vera

54:52

56:31 relationship with Jocko Willink

1:02:51 bible app with Michael Chandler

1:05:04 transitioning from coach to drug distribution

1:09:42 stabbing at a nightclub

1:16:48 argument with Chris Leben

1:21:18 Elias Gios

1:24:21 training Dan Bilzerian

1:26:30 robbed for $285,000

1:29:52 Kickboxer Rob Kaman

1:30:10 relationship with Dominick Cruz

1:33:44 falling out with Dominick Cruz

1:38:20 relationship with Dean Lister

1:40:38 Eric Nicksick

1:42:05 process of getting caught up

1:45:27 outro/ closing thoughts

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