The lightweight, known for wars inside the cage and his charitable foundation outside of it, surprised fight fans after being arrested at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia.

Now, bodycam footage of the incident has emerged showing Poirier challenging police to a fight. The video was obtained by TMZ, via the Atlanta Police Department.

“Let’s go big dog. Let’s go big dog. What’s up? Bunch of hoes. Let’s go. Let’s go,” Poirier can be heard on camera. “Relax,” an officer tells Poirier.

An airline employee can be overheard saying “this is why he got pulled off the plane.”

“Pull me off the plane. All my boys went to the f*cking crib, and now what the f*ck?” responds Poirier. “F*ck you and f*ck her and f*ck her.”

“I’ll fight you right now. I’ll go with you right now. Let’s go. Let’s go. Tell them. Tell them, come on. It’s going to be bad,” Poirier is heard exclaiming while the officer on scene radios to his counterparts.

Towards the end of the video, Poirier is heard asking to be arrested.

🚨 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

In a statement issued via his Instagram Story, Poirier later admitted that he needs help.

“I’m at the point where I need some help, walking away from fighting hasn’t been easy on me and alcohol isn’t the answer,” he wrote. “It has ruined my father’s life and I will not allow it to ruin mine, my family deserve me at 100%”

“I’m trying to do everything I can to get my mind right and take the right next steps.”

In a separate statement via Full Send, Poirier said that since retiring, “some days I’m great, some days I’m not so good. If I’m not working towards something or trying to better my family, I’m a danger to myself.”

Poirier retired from mixed martial arts following a loss to Max Holloway roughly a year ago. The former interim lightweight champion has shared the cage with the likes of Holloway, Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Eddie Alvarez, and others.

The post Dustin Poirier Issues Statement After Release of Arrest Footage appeared first on Cageside Press.

The incident took place on Sunday, June 21, which happened to be Father’s Day.

TMZ was first to report news of Poirier’s arrest, noting that in Georgia, the charge is a misdemeanor and carries a penalty of up to one year in jail, and/or a fine, if convicted.

Poirier later took to social media to issue a brief statement seemingly in response to the news becoming public. “Love you all, I’m working on myself,” he wrote on his Instagram Story on Monday afternoon.

Following a loss to Max Holloway in a “BMF” title fight last July, Dustin Poirier hung up the gloves and retired, though he had recently hinted he could return for the right opportunity. Primarily for a fourth fight with Conor McGregor, who returns to action for the first time since 2021 next month.

Poirier appears to have other concerns now, though it’s unlikely he’ll face the full penalty for Sunday’s incident. Ben Askren later provided context, which, if it’s believed, appears to have Poirier rough-housing with pals at an airport.

“He was having a good time at the airport. Wrestled some of my friends,
Askren wrote alongside of a video clip of Poirier.

A former interim lightweight champion, Poirier failed three times to claim undisputed gold in the UFC, and lost two “BMF” title opportunities. He does, however, hold wins over McGregor, Holloway, Justin Gaethje (all of whom also have their own wins over “The Diamond”), Eddie Alvarez, and King Green, among others.

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Per a report by Deadline, Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler have both joined the cast, and will appear alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in Road House 2. In addition, Michael “Venom” Page, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, Tyron Woodley, and kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven are all onboard. Former UFC fighter Jay Hieron will return, reprising his role as Jax “Jetway” Harris from the 2024 film, a remake of the Patrick Swayze original.

McGregor portrayed Knox, chief antagonist to Gyllenhaal’s Elwood Dalton in the initial installment. The Knox character does survive the climax of the movie, as shown while the credits roll. It seems McGregor might be too busy to return, however, as the fighter targets a comeback at next year’s UFC White House card.

Road House 2 falls under the Amazon MGM Studios banner, and will shoot in the U.K., Malta, and Savannah, Georgia, per Deadline’s report. The original film drew in 80 million viewers during its first eight weeks of release on Amazon’s Prime Video platform.

Ilya Naishuller replaces Doug Liman in the director’s chair. Plot details for the sequel are being kept under wraps; the 2024 film found Gyllenhaal as Dalton, a former UFC fighter, working as a bouncer in a dive bar in the Florida keys. He winds up drawn into a hostile takeover of Road House, the bar, with a local crime lord trying to buy up the property.

Woodley has previously appeared in Olympus Has Fallen, Escape Plan 2, and the Netflix series Cobra Kai, among others. Poirier will be making his acting debut, while Chandler has one film credit to his name, the little-known horror flick Be Afraid.

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In the main event the ‘The Diamond’ concluded his trilogy with Max Holloway in an epic five round battle for the BMF strap. In the co-main event, two ranked middleweights threw down, as former 185lbs. title challenger, Paulo Costa, faced off against Roman Kopylov. Six of the nine fights on the undercard ended with a finish while all of the five-fight main card bouts went the distance. Some of the most notable names from the Contender Series grace this special edition of our losers matchmaking piece.

Dustin Poirier

Max Holloway spoiled Dustin Poirier’s special last night in the octagon after a long storied career in the main event of UFC 318, Saturday. Poirier had long since announced that the bout would be his last, and specifically selected Max to finish the pair’s trilogy for the occasion. Dustin ends his pro MMA career at 22-9, 1 NC with the UFC.  Poirier had lost three of his last four fights including a title shot against Islam Makhachev at UFC 302. Saturday marks the first time that Poirier has ever lost two bouts in a row in his MMA career. Happy Retirement to the legend.

Poirier’s next fight: Retirement 

Roman Kopylov

Paulo Costa bested Roman Kopylov over the course of three rounds to secure a crucial victory in the co main event of UFC 318, Saturday. The loss snapped Kopylov’s two fight win streak and is only the second fight he’s lost in 8 fights. Roman entered the fight ranked at #14 in the middleweight division while his opponent was ranked at #13.

Kopylov shouldn’t look far for his next fight, a good opponent would be Marvin Vettori. Marvin fought Brendan Allen on the undercard of UFC 318 losing the heated battle via unanimous decision. Marvin is currently ranked at #10 in the middleweight division but is sure to slide a little once they are updated. The loss marked Vettori’s third straight unanimous decision loss (Jared Cannonier, Roman Dolidze and Brendan Allen). This one would be a good one for the division as Costa is now a mutual opponent for the pair. Could see this fight being on the main card of a PPV or a fight night card.

Kopylov’s next fight: Marvin Vettori

Kevin Holland

Kevin Holland was out-gunned and defeated in a wild war with Daniel Rodriguez on Saturday. Holland started the night off ranked at #13 in the welterweight division while D-Rod was unranked. Kevin has now gone 2-1 since moving back down to welterweight after his January loss to Reinier de Ridder. Holland has faced seemingly everyone so finding a matchup for him may be a little tricky.

For Kevin’s next fight he should definitely remain at welterweight and face the winner of Muslim Salikhov vs Carlos Leal.

That bout goes down on July 26th so the timing would be perfect. Carlos is 1-1 since being signed to the UFC in October 2024. He lost in his debut to Rinat Fakhretdinov and in his most recent bout, finished Alex Morono in the first round. Salikhov is 8-4 within the UFC and riding a 2-fight win steak. In his most recent bout, he earned a performance bonus for his first round KO of Kenan Song back in November of 2024. Kevin could draw a 41-year-old vet or a new face to the division over 10 years younger. Both men are strikers, but both pose different threats. Muslim has flashy kicks and Leal’s hands are lethal. Winner would be a fitting matchup for Kevin especially if he somehow slides out of the rankings at welterweight.

Holland’s next fight: Winner of Muslim Salikhov vs Carlos Leal 

Dan Ige

Former Bellator champion, Patricio Pitbull, finally found his groove as he snagged a unanimous decision victory over Dan Ige on Saturday.  Ige entered the fight ranked at #11 in the featherweight division while Pitbull was unranked. Dan has now lost three of his last four fights though they have all been decisions to elite competition (Diego Lopes, Lerone Murphy, Patricio Pitbull). Ige’s lone win in this stretch was against Sean Woodson back in April.

For his next fight, Dan Ige should square off against Giga Chikadze. Ige faced a 6’3″ fighter then a 5’6″ fighter, let’s give him another taller guy. Giga is ranked at #14 within UFC‘s featherweight division. Chikadze has also lost three of his last four fights. Though it’s worth noting that Giga is on a two-fight skid since returning from a couple of injuries. Giga was featured on losers back in April and still doesn’t have a bout, so this is a matchup that makes sense. Giga did miss weight his last time out, but the 6’0″ fighter will likely stay in the weight class.

Ige’s next fight: Giga Chikadze

Daniel Zellhuber

Michael Johnson turned back the hands of time, defeating Daniel Zellhuber to open up the main card of UFC 318. With the loss Zellhuber is now on a two-fight skid since starting his UFC career at 3-1 off receiving a contract on the 2021 season of the Contender Series.

For his next fight, Daniel should take on Jordan Leavitt. Jordan is also a veteran of the Contender Series as well and is 5-3 within the promotion. Leavitt is a grappling specialist and last competed at the end of May taking 99 seconds to submit Kurt Holobaugh. The slick sub earned Jordan a performance bonus. This matchup would offer a classic grappler vs striker matchup which changes up what Zellhuber has faced in his past couple. Regardless, this fight has real stakes attached as the winner would move up heavily in visibility within the division. High probability of this matchup being fight of the night material too as both guys have yet to be in boring fights.

Daniel’s next fight: Jordan Leavitt

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The former interim lightweight champ and multiple time lightweight and BMF title challenger had an entire card built around him for his retirement party. The “kid from Louisiana” was given main event billing at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, with a chance for a storybook finish. MMA is a harsh mistress, however, and Poirier had to settle for going out on a decision loss in his third fight with Max Holloway.

“Obviously I wanted to win. Max is a great fighter, tough competitor. Being inside the eye of the storm, it felt a lot closer to me,” Poirier (30-10, 1NC) said following the bout, reacting to the judges’ scorecards while speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press. “I really thought it might have been 2-2 going into the fifth.”

Poirier and his coach reviewed the cards following the bout, and found the scoring to be somewhat all over the map, different judges awarding him different rounds. The outcome was the same regardless. “Being in the fight, it felt like a lot closer than that. When I heard the judge’s 49-whatever, I was like ‘no way, it was closer than that.'”

It doesn’t change a thing, however, and Poirier seemed to accept the result. “Like the man says, it is what it is.” As far as his effort in the bout, and whether the outcome might be an indicator that retirement is indeed the right decision, “I thought I was doing well,” Poirier opined. “It was close rounds every time. Looking back, hindsight is always 20-20, but I thought I fought smart. I tried to win, man, I really did.”

Dustin Poirier has never been one to dwell on his career or accomplishments, but understandably, that changed during Fight Week ahead of UFC 318, and his final walk to the octagon. Now, he’s looking at what he wants his career to mean, and it comes down to inspiring others.

“The love and the outreach this week has been incredible, and I really feel it. I really feel it, and I’m just thankful that people got inspired or people followed my journey. You can do anything you put your mind to, and that’s what I want my story to be,” stated Poirier. “I want people to realize that. No matter where you come from, if you believe and work hard enough, you can make dreams happen. I’m just a kid out here, walking out with Lil Wayne, living his dreams. Crazy. Putting on wars with the best guys in the world, that’s, what a beautiful life. It’s a beautiful story because I know the author, that’s what it is.”

Poirier also knows that it will be tough going without an outlet for his competitive nature, but he’s hoping to find something while staying involved with MMA.

“Nothing’s ever going to fill that void of walking out to a crowd trying to will you to win, and fighting one of the best guys in the world for 25 minutes. I don’t know if anything’s going to feel that way again, but hopefully I can find something. I would love to stay connected to the sport, keep working for ESPN. The sport has given me everything I have in life, and I would to watch and watch other kids chase their dreams and put my two cents in, what I think I learned through two decades of doing this.”

Watch the full UFC 318 post-fight press conference, his final one, with Dustin Poirier above.

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Poirier’s final fight, set in New Orleans, was the rare case of a fighter having an entire card built around his retirement fight. And having two existing wins over Holloway, one at featherweight and one at lightweight, it was a chance to go out on top for “The Diamond,” or as close to the top as he could get short of the undisputed lightweight crown.

Poirier opened the action landing a left hand, while Holloway moved outside. Holloway connected with his right, but not clean. Then came a leg kick by Poirier; along with it, a huge rallying cry for Dustin Poirier. It was Max Holloway, however, who responded, dropping Poirier! Holloway followed up, hurting “The Diamond,” though he was unanle to finish then and there. Instead, Poirier rallied, landing an uppercut, then a leg kick. Holloway fired a spinning back kick, but was in too close. The same problem plagued a second attempt. Holloway still found openings as he popped off a combination a moment later however. Poirier ripped a leg kick inside; Holloway fired another combo upstairs.

Round two saw Holloway dart in, fire a number of punches, and exit. Poirier was clearly a step slower, and had a little less volume when he did attack. Holloway fired to the body, but a right hand connected for Poirier. Holloway answered with a body kick, shutting down any hope of a Poirier follow-up. Then near the midway mark, Holloway rocked Poirier again! He went on the attack, and they went down, Max getting on top and landing blow after blow. Poirier survived, but still had the BMF champ on top. Eventually Poirier was able to buck Holloway off, threatening with upkicks. Dustin then marched forward, and targeted the body while working his jab. Before the round was up, Poirier then took control, dropping Holloway! Poirier jumped on a guillotine, hoping to secure a buzzer-beater submission, but it wasn’t to be.

Round three felt like more of a recovery round early. Both men had been hurt in an exhausting round two, and appeared to have slowed a step, or at least taken their foot off the gas. Holloway worked outside, Poirier trying to attack at angles. In the back half of the round, Holloway began coming on, connecting several times upstairs with a combination that forced Dustin Poirier to back up to the fence. The final minute saw Dustin endure a grazing eye poke, but he chose not the take any time, ready to fight on. A hot finish to the round saw Poirier coming on, and a bit of friendly jawing between the two.

The championship rounds of the UFC’s latest BMF title fight saw Poirier trying to ride the momentum he’d found in the second and again, to a lesser extent, late in the third. Holloway was mobile, circling outside; the pair exchanged low kicks. Holloway would land, Poirier answered back, and business started to pick up. In the final two minutes, both men had their moments, with Poirier starting to look a little drained. Still, after a Holloway combo, Dustin was able to connect with a left hand. A spinning back kick connected for Max towards the end of the round, with Poirier getting one last shot in by the horn.

The fifth and final round saw Poirier pressing, and Max Holloway answering back with more bodywork. His output continued to outpace Poirier, but Poirier’s shots had more behind them. Holloway was the busier fighter throughout the round; in the final 90 seconds or so, action was paused after Poirier suffered another eye poke. That didn’t stop things for long, but it was Holloway coming back hard with a body kick. Then Poirier fired off a big left hand! The final minute had the crowd roaring, and the final ten seconds — vintage Max Holloway. He held up his palm, halting Poirier in his tracks, and the moment the 10 second clapper sounded, “Blessed” pointed to center, and the pair unloaded. Holloway landed more in that final firefight, the perfect visual to finish one an intense fight.

Holloway kept his speech short after the win, ceding the mic to Poirier for one last time. As for Dustin Poirier, “I feel appreciated, I feel seen. I never got to step outside of fighting and look at it this way,” he stated, calling it an incredible week and thanking both the fans and the UFC. “I’m forever grateful. I love you all. I’m a kid living his dream out here, throwing punches, throwing knees.”

Official Result: Max Holloway def. Dustin Poirier by unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)

The post UFC 318: Max Holloway First to Successfully Defend BMF Belt in Dustin Poirier’s Retirement Fight appeared first on Cageside Press.

Storybook endings rarely come in MMA, but Poirier had a chance for just that. Fighting at home in Louisiana, with a second chance to claim the UFC’s “BMF” belt after previously coming up short against Justin Gaethje.

Holloway, meanwhile, had a chance to avenge a pair of career losses and become the first man to defend the BMF title. Holloway had been defeated by Poirier in the Hawaiian’s UFC debut, then lost a rematch years later for an interim lightweight belt. After being knocked out by Ilia Topuria, “Blessed” was making another move to 155lbs, and was still capable of hanging with the best fighters regardless of the weight being 145 or 155.

Our picks are in for Saturday’s UFC 318 – see below for our predictions.

Writer / Fight	Johnson vs. Zellhuber	Ige vs. Pitbull	Holland vs. Rodriguez	Costa vs. Kopylov	Holloway vs. Poirier
Eddie Law (78-43)
Alex Behunin (74-42)
Mathis Desjardins (72-43)
Brett Cagle (69-46)
Chris Prawdzik (62-41)
Jay Anderson (72-49)
Ryan Quinn (8-5)
Patrick Danaa (9-8)
Cade Morehouse (16-19)

Apologies, Michael Johnson. Despite being a “Menace” and a veteran of the UFC, all nine writers responding are siding with youth over experience in the UFC 318 card opener. That means we have Daniel Zellhuber as a lock to take home the W.

That was the only lock of the night, though Kevin Holland was a close second, a heavy favorite to defeat Daniel Rodriguez in a welterweight bout third in on the card.

Roman Kopylov has the edge over Paulo Costa with our crew, perhaps a sign of how far the former title challenger’s stock has fallen. And in the main event, Dustin Poirier is a solid favorite to get the happy ending, claim gold, and finish out his career in style.

The post UFC 318: Holloway vs. Poirier 3 Main Card Staff Picks appeared first on Cageside Press.

Poirier, a former interim champ at lightweight, holds two wins over Hawaii’s “Blessed,” a former featherweight champion and future Hall of Famer, like Poirier himself. Yet “The Diamond” fell short in a previous attempt to claim the BMF title, losing to Justin Gaethje. With Holloway beating Gaethje at UFC 300, the door was opened for Poirier to get another shot at gold. Perhaps not the gold he wants most (that would be the undisputed UFC lightweight championship, which Poirier failed to obtain on three separate attempts), but still a nice addition to his legacy.

As for Holloway, a win over the retiring Poirier would see him avenge two losses and further his own legacy, after being knocked out by Ilia Topuria at UFC 308 last year.

Weigh-ins for UFC 318 take place Friday in New Orleans, results from the morning’s official weigh-in can be found below.

UFC 318: Holloway vs. Poirier 3 Weigh-In Results

Main card

Lightweight: Max Holloway (c) (155) vs. Dustin Poirier (156) – for the “BMF” championship
Middleweight: Paulo Costa (185) vs. Roman Kopylov (185)
Welterweight: Kevin Holland (170) vs. Daniel Rodriguez (170)
Featherweight: Dan Ige (145) vs. Patrício Pitbull (145)
Lightweight: Michael Johnson (155) vs. Daniel Zellhuber (156)

Preliminary card

Bantamweight: Kyler Phillips (135) vs. Vinicius Oliveira (135)
Middleweight: Marvin Vettori (186) vs. Brendan Allen (185)
Welterweight: Francisco Prado (170) vs. Nikolay Veretennikov (169)
Middleweight: Ateba Abega Gautier (185) vs. Robert Valentin (186)

Early preliminary card

Welterweight: Adam Fugitt (171) vs. Islam Dulatov (171)
Light Heavyweight: Jimmy Crute (205) vs. Marcin Prachnio (205)
Heavyweight: Ryan Spann (252) vs. Łukasz Brzeski (242)
Middleweight: Brunno Ferreira (186) vs. Jackson McVey (185)
Women’s Flyweight: Carli Judice (125) vs. Nicolle Caliari (126)

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“Funny fact, Dustin was the first high-level athlete I had the pleasure to work with since I made the switch from fighting to coaching… and the first fight we had together was Anthony Pettis. I was still active, so we did a lot of sparring for that fight and mitt work. So this week is pretty special.” – Thiago “Pit Bull” Alves

Pit Bull is one of the most feared strikers MMA has ever seen. He holds notable wins over Matt Hughes, Karo Parisyan, and Josh Koscheck, as well as challenging Georges St-Pierre for the title in 2009. Coach Alves knows this game better than most. Someone with that résumé and passion for the sport can only complement Dustin’s already defined skill set. We spoke on some adjustments between now and the last encounter.

“I think right now, at this stage of their lives, they’ve already accomplished so much in the sport, you know? Being champions in two different weight classes. I think it’s going to be even better! We’ve prepared ourselves for the best Max Holloway possible. (Max) moving up to 55 gives you extra juice, rejuvenation, and excitement. We factor everything in. But Dustin’s a dog, always been a true fighter. Things are bad, he puts his chin down and keeps swinging. But we made it more strategic.”

Max and Dustin are no strangers to slugfests, which is why we find this bout for the BMF title. Being their third fight with each other, they are no strangers to each other either. When fighters find themselves in this situation, it’s best to make sure their own game is tight instead of focusing on holes in their opponent’s. Strategy is important to create the offense appropriate for winning rounds and getting the knockout.

Poirier has been with American Top Team for 13 years. We spoke on his first impression when joining the powerhouse.

“Solid dude, very respectful. Wanted to learn, and he knew he was a new guy in an established gym, and he knew what we had to offer. Look at him right now. I always say at American Top Team, you either fit in right away or you don’t… A lot of guys come and go, but Dustin stayed with us. He trusts the work, and look where he is right now. One of the most accomplished lightweights in UFC history.”

Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway for the BMF title at UFC 318 will be an instant classic—two fighters who are fan favorites for what they do both in and out of competition. Emotions will be high not only for them, but for everyone engaged. We get a wonderful way to send off a special career as The Diamond rides off into the sunset. Don’t blink!

For the full interview with Thiago Alves see “Din Thomas FightCourt” on Youtube.

The post Thiago Alves Breaks Down Dustin Poirier’s UFC 318 Retirement Fight, Legacy appeared first on Cageside Press.

It’s been a long, winding road for Dustin Poirier, who started his career as a promising featherweight but ran the risk of becoming just another Conor McGregor stepping stone after losing to the Irish star early on. Yet Poirier turned things around, primarily with a move to lightweight that paid off in spades. He’d win an interim title there (against Holloway, coincidentally), and despite coming up short against Khabib Nurmagomedov in a title unification bout, still went on to avenge his loss to McGregor and emerge as one of the division’s fan favourites.

Another two title shots, against Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev, saw Poirier fall short again and again. Now, rather than, as he put it this week, be retired by the sport, he’s walking away on his own terms at age 36.

Not a bad way to end it, especially if Poirier were to claim the symbolic “BMF” title by defeating Holloway on Saturday. The lineage of that title dates back to Masvidal vs. Diaz (Nate Diaz proclaimed himself the “baddest motherf*cker” ahead of his fight with Jorge Madvidal, leading to the UFC creating the belt), and had been dusted off on a couple more occasions.

The second involved Poirier himself, who was defeated by Justin Gaethje; Holloway then beat Gaethje at UFC 300 to claim what really comes down to bragging rights, or an all-violence title, not all that dissimilar to the old UFC Super-Fight title in a sense (though that was an open weight belt prior to weight classes).

Ahead of UFC 318 in New Orleans, the key players will be on hand for the event’s pre-fight press conference. Catch that in the live stream above.

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