At this point, the transition into retirement is proving to be the toughest fight of Dustin Poirier’s life. While the rest of the MMA world was celebrating Father’s Day, things took a dark turn for ‘The Diamond.’ The former UFC interim lightweight champion was arrested at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Sunday evening, charged with public drunkenness and misdemeanor conduct following a chaotic scene at an airport bar and gate.

The UFC legend was booked into Clayton County Jail but released later that night. After fans began expressing some serious concern, the Louisiana native broke his silence with a simple message on his Instagram story.

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

As video of the incident started making the rounds, ‘The Diamond’ released a more emotional statement on his Instagram story, confessing that retirement has indeed been harder on him than expected and that alcohol has become a serious issue.

“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,” Dustin Poirier 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.”

This is the very first time that Poirier has spoken about his father’s struggles with alcoholism, since all we knew about his childhood was the fact that after facing a difficult childhood in Lafayette, Louisiana, frequent disciplinary problems eventually led him to drop out of high school in the ninth grade.

However, discovering mixed martial arts gave him a sense of purpose and discipline. But now, time away from the sport is surely affecting him again. And fans who have followed the former interim champion since his final fight against Max Holloway at UFC 318 in July last year aren’t surprised by his recent admission.

In November of last year, during an interaction with a fan online, Poirier confessed to having a hard time with “sobriety” following his retirement.

Then in January, Dustin Poirier admitted on the Ariel Helwani show that what began as occasional vacation drinking during his retirement had gradually evolved into a daily habit. With no fight camps keeping him locked in, it just got worse over time. He confessed about the same struggles on Theo Von’s podcast as well.

“Honestly, bro, I’m a danger to myself when I have nothing, no goals on my calendar,” Poirier stated. “I’m home. I drink. It’s just not good. I have to have some kind of battle.”

Dustin Poirier had also told fans that he had completed a 40-day sobriety challenge before the New Year, but the recent airport incident and the subsequent admission show the struggle is still a reality that he has to deal with at the moment.

Body cam footage shows tense standoff with Atlanta PD

That battle spilled over on Sunday at Delta Gate D36. According to 11alive.com, Dustin Poirier was stopped from boarding Delta Flight DL1295 to Fort Lauderdale because he appeared to be inebriated and was allegedly play-wrestling with another man in the airport bar.

Newly released bodycam footage shows ‘The Diamond’ arguing with the airline employees. When an officer asked if he was the UFC fighter, Poirier responded, “F— you.”

To make matters worse, things escalated after that.

“I’ll fight you right now,” Dustin Poirier said as he squared up to the cop.

However, the officer remained calm, saying, “I don’t want to fight,” before calling for backup. As more officers came in, Poirier realized the walls were closing in. But instead of stopping the resistance, he allegedly dared the officers to take him in instead.

“If you want to arrest me, then go ahead… Arrest me. That’s the best way, dog,” Poirier could be heard saying.

Before being led away in handcuffs, Dustin Poirier appeared to have finally calmed down and even offered the original officer a fist bump, telling him he did the best he could.

From the looks of it, rehabilitation looks inevitable at this point. Now, after making the heartbreaking confession on social media, hopefully one of MMA’s most respected fighters will find the support and structure he requires to win this fight outside the cage.