Dustin Poirier has finally addressed the airport incident that led to his arrest on Father’s Day. The retired UFC star was taken into custody at Atlanta’s airport after being removed from a flight and was initially charged with misdemeanor public drunkenness. He was booked around 6:38 p.m. ET and released later that evening, with only a brief Instagram message thanking supporters following the incident. Days later, body-camera footage released by the Atlanta Police Department and obtained by TMZ Sports revealed what happened before the arrest.
The video shows Poirier causing a disturbance near the gate after being escorted off the plane. He appears visibly upset, repeatedly confronting officers and even challenging one to a fight by pulling up his shorts in his signature fashion. The situation escalated to the point where an officer drew a taser while ordering him to back away. Once more officers arrived, Poirier eventually calmed down, surrendered peacefully, and allowed himself to be arrested.
In a surprising moment captured on camera, he later offered the same officer a fist bump and thanked him for handling the situation professionally. Now, nearly two weeks later, Poirier has spoken publicly about the incident during an appearance on The Diary of a CEO podcast, expressing regret for his behavior and explaining what led to that difficult day in Atlanta.
🚨 Dustin Poirier was unhinged during his arrest this week in a totally chaotic scene
🎥: Atlanta Police Department pic.twitter.com/DKCBQBLR81
— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) June 23, 2026
He started with, “The desk agent might have saw I was intoxicated and was like, ‘No, you can’t get on the plane,’ and that might have [been] what started it. I don’t know. But I do want to apologize to those desk agents, whoever they are, and the police for having to put up with me, man.”
Poirier then expressed his desire to personally thank the police officer who handled the situation that day. He said, “I actually asked a lawyer in Atlanta, who I’ve been working with, if he can, please, give me that officer’s information, his address, if I can write him a letter, his cell phone if I can call him. Just to tell him how great of a job he did dealing with a person in that condition, and how professional he was. He was incredible. It could’ve been so much worse. I just want to thank him. I didn’t get to do that.”
The former interim champion praised the officer for remaining calm and professional rather than trying to make an example out of him. He said, “I need to thank him because, like I said, it could’ve been so much worse. What if it was a young, hot head cop who wanted to be a superstar, or wanted to… it could’ve been horrible. I could be sitting here facing serious charges. And just to put my wife and my children through that, just, it’s not good.”
Poirier then opened up about his father’s long struggle with alcoholism and how it has affected his family. He revealed, “He’s ruined his marriages, he’s ruined his relationships, he’s ruined his friendship, he’s ruined his relationships with his family, with his kids. He has two kids who won’t speak to him at all. He’s been in jail plenty of times for alcohol-related stuff. He’s actually homeless right now. I try to help him, and he’s back on the street. It’s like he almost doesn’t want help.”
He went on to explain how those emotions resurfaced on Father’s Day and contributed to the airport incident. He added, “On Father’s Day, I was traveling to work, and I just couldn’t stop thinking about my father. I started drinking at the airport, and that’s what kind of led to the incident. When I feel like that, and I’ve been going to therapy – years ago I started going to therapy. And when I started feeling better, I stopped practicing everything I learned through therapy. And then I felt that feeling again. I guess I’d call it depression, I just didn’t feel well. And when I feel like that, I know I shouldn’t drink, and I drink anyway.”
Dustin Poirier opened up about the airport incident that led to his arrest, saying thoughts of his father’s devastating struggle with alcohol pushed him to start drinking while traveling on Father’s Day.
He explained that his father lost his relationships and is now homeless… pic.twitter.com/RfO2tHQqxQ
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) July 6, 2026
Poirier made it clear that he is not using his father as an excuse and takes full responsibility for his actions. However, he admitted that he still has not watched any footage from the incident. He said, “So not that my father or anything is an excuse. Obviously, I did what I did. But I knew in the moment when I’m feeling like that, to drink or have any alcohol has never benefited me, especially in times like that where I’m mentally not the best.”
He added, “I don’t want to see it. Even when my wife started playing it, and I heard it, she would watch it in the other room. And then I have a buddy I work out with five days a week. Between him and my wife, I’ve put the pieces together and pretty know the extent of what happened.”
The Louisiana native explained that he has no desire to watch himself behaving in a way that disrespected others or his own family. He said, “To see myself in that condition, disrespecting a police officer, disrespecting workers at the airport, disrespecting myself, disrespecting my family. I just don’t feel like it’s gonna benefit me to see that. If anything, I think it’s gonna bring me down, and I’m gonna keep thinking about it. Like I said, for the most part, understand what happened, know what happened. I don’t need to see it again.”
Poirier also revealed that he has deleted all social media apps from his phone and has deliberately avoided seeing the criticism, memes, or even messages of support related to the incident. Aside from posting a message of gratitude and asking for help on Instagram, he has stayed away from social media entirely.
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He revealed, “I got home, I posted that on Instagram, then I uninstalled all social media off my phone. So I haven’t, since Father’s Day or the day after Father’s Day, I haven’t been on anything. I know they’re making fun. I know they’re talking about me. Obviously, I’ve been in the light with being a professional athlete for a long time. I know how this goes. So I just uninstalled all my stuff. I haven’t seen any of the clips, any of the videos, any of the anything, you know, besides what my wife and my buddy are telling me.”
The entire 90-minute interview served as a deeply vulnerable reflection on the airport incident, offering an unusually candid look into Poirier’s personal struggles, mental health, and accountability. Rather than deflecting blame, the retired UFC star repeatedly took responsibility for his actions while discussing the emotional factors that contributed to that day. Fans will undoubtedly hope the former interim champion, who retired following his final fight at UFC 318 in his home state of Louisiana, receives the support he needs as he works through this difficult chapter of his life.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.