EXCLUSIVE - Dustin Poirier: I Lost Control! And I’ll Never Let It Happen Again

Airport Incident and Emotional Struggles00:00

Dustin Poirier described experiencing depression throughout his career, noting that when it hits, it hits hard. On Father's Day, he spent the morning with his kids feeling good, but as he traveled to work, a depressive feeling returned like a cloud in his head. He began drinking, his emotions got the best of him, and he was arrested at the Atlanta airport. He questioned whether he had ruined everything he was working for, acknowledging it could have been much worse. Poirier stated he was angry at the world and could not stop thinking about his father, who is currently homeless. He tried to help his father, who ended up back on the street. Poirier emphasized this was not an excuse for his actions.

He revealed he is back in therapy and, through opening up, realized some issues may be linked to his childhood. Poirier mentioned his father was an alcoholic, there was violence in the home, and his mother described him as an alcoholic kid. He started drinking at age 12 or 13, was expelled from school, got arrested, and had no goals at that time. He characterized his early life as a roller coaster.

Retirement and Post-Fighting Identity01:30

Poirier discussed retiring on July 30th and reflected on a photo of his gloves on the mat, stating it felt like leaving a piece of himself. He referenced a wise man's saying: "If a man's lucky, he gets to die twice." He explained that the part of him that woke up every day to push himself to be the best fighter is now dead. He is now "retired Dustin" and "businessman Dustin," trying to figure things out after 20 years of dreaming about being the best. He wants to dream again. Nothing has compared to fighting, which served as therapy for him. Some days he wakes up believing he could still beat top guys currently winning.