While other UFC fighters were celebrating Father’s Day, the special occasion brought nothing but trouble for Dustin Poirier. On Sunday evening, TMZ reported that police had arrested the UFC veteran at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia on charges of public drunkenness and misdemeanor conduct for play-wrestling with another man at the airport bar. Later that evening, the authorities released him after a short period in custody. Following the controversy his arrest created, many had been dying to hear it from Poirier himself, and hours ago, ‘The Diamond’ broke his silence.

“Love you all,” Poirier wrote on Instagram. “I’m working on myself.”

While Dustin Poirier appears to be admitting his mistake with the post, his arrest has come as a surprise because the Louisiana native has always been known as one of the most disciplined fighters in the UFC. However, Poirier’s issues with alcohol did not really surface while he was actively competing. In fact, he had opened up multiple times about his struggles with it after taking retirement last year after UFC 318. 

In January, Poirier told Ariel Helwani in an interview that he had always used alcohol as a “celebratory” part of vacations and social gatherings. But, without fights on the horizon, those occasional drinks gradually became a daily habit. After that, Poirier also discussed his struggles during an appearance on Theo Von’s podcast, where he admitted that retirement had affected him to the point where he felt the situation was becoming dangerous.

“Honestly, bro, I’m a danger to myself when I have nothing, no goals on my calendar,” Poirier told Theo Von. “I’m a danger to myself, man. Yeah, yeah, I beat myself up mentally. I’m home. I drink. It’s just not good. I have to have some kind of battle. And I’ve always been like that. But as I’m getting older, I’m kind of recognizing it. You can see it more. So I kind of set goals so I stay busy.”

Poirier is definitely aware of his struggles with alcohol, which is likely why he addressed the recent arrest by saying he is “working on myself.” However, he is far from the only fighter to have dealt with alcohol-related issues.

The UFC’s inaugural heavyweight champion, Mark Coleman, also struggled with alcohol following retirement and eventually sought help through rehabilitation. Beyond that, Alexander Volkanovski has also admitted to regularly drinking alcohol before his fight against Islam Makhachev at UFC 294.

Now, as the former UFC interim lightweight champion has partially admitted to his wrongdoing, reactions to the arrest have already started pouring in. Most notably, Colby Covington bashed the Louisiana native for allegedly ruining his Father’s Day by getting arrested.

Ben Askren and Colby Covington react to Dustin Poirier’s Father’s Day arrest

After the news of Dustin Poirier getting arrested on Father’s Day spread like wildfire, Ben Askren and Colby Covington were among the first fighters to react to the incident. Though it’s unclear whether Askren was actually with Poirier before the arrest, he shared a clip of the former interim lightweight champion wrestling with some of his friends at the airport.

“He was having a good time at the airport,” Askren wrote on X. “Wrestled some of my friends 😂.”

Following Askren, another one of Poirier’s longtime rivals, Colby Covington, reacted to the incident. However, the former interim welterweight champion was far less kind with his words.

“I want to take a moment and have a toast to ‘Father of the Year’ Dustin Poirier,” Covington said on X. “Nothing says role model and family man like being arrested for public intoxication at 37 years old at 6:38 PM on Father’s Day. Cheers to you, Dustin.”

Well, that adds another chapter to Dustin Poirier and Colby Covington‘s long-running rivalry. Though both fighters never competed in the same division, Poirier and Covington developed a heated feud during their days at American Top Team after Poirier took issue with the way Covington treated some of his teammates.

After that, ‘Chaos’ repeatedly criticized Poirier in public and even made things personal by bringing his wife into the rivalry.

With Dustin Poirier now out and about, a journey towards recovery can begin. Though it will be hard, if there’s someone who can do it, it’s the veteran UFC star.