Dustin Poirier had a rough Father’s Day last week. Police arrested the former UFC interim lightweight champion at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport on charges of public intoxication and transported him to the Clayton County Jail after he got into a ruckus with airport staff over being denied entry onto his flight. While he was released after posting bail, the viral body cam footage of the arrest released soon after showed an intoxicated Poirier daring one of the responding officers to fight him. “I would fight you right now,” he could be seen saying in the clip while approaching the officer. However, before the situation could escalate, Poirier allowed the police to handcuff him and even fist-bumped the officer who attempted to restrain him. 

Since the incident, ‘The Diamond’ has been receiving much-needed support from the MMA community during this difficult time, and now Jon Jones has once again voiced his support for Poirier. 

“I hope that Dustin keeps his head high, gets back on his horse and realizes that at the end of the day, news is news,” Jones told Red Corner MMA. “Some people say there’s no such thing as bad press. I disagree with that, but press is press, you know.  The whole world is talking about him right now. He didn’t hurt anybody. He was drunk. We’ve all been drunk, alcohol makes you do silly things, and it’s important for him to forgive himself and just keep moving forward.”

For Poirier, getting attention for the wrong reasons could be overwhelming. But Jon Jones has gone through similar situations many times, and that’s probably why the former heavyweight champion felt the need to support the Louisiana native during this difficult period. Ever since his retirement last year in July, Dustin Poirier has admitted to struggling with alcohol addiction after leaving the UFC. As someone who also retired around the same time and has dealt with issues of addiction in the past, Jones’ support for Poirier shows he understands the situation the Louisiana native is in. This is also the second time since the incident that the former UFC heavyweight champion has publicly backed the veteran.

“Wanted to write and tell my n—a [Dustin] Poirier to keep your head up, life happens. This too shall pass. Just keep yourself busy, my man, it helps,” Jones wrote on X a few days after the arrest.

However, Dustin Poirier has also taken the right steps to show that he is genuinely trying to get better.

After the charges were filed, the 37-year-old assured everyone that he is doing everything he can to stay on the right path. He once again opened up about the struggles with retirement life on social media, reiterating that dealing with life without any fights on the horizon has been difficult.

Following this honest admission, Jon Jones’ longtime rival Daniel Cormier also showed his support for Dustin Poirier. For those who don’t know, ‘DC’ also hails from Louisiana and shares a good relationship with ‘The Diamond.’ As such, Cormier urged everyone to show “empathy” toward Poirier as he navigates this difficult phase of his life.

Now, while much-needed support continues to pour in for Dustin Poirier, not everyone feels the same way. One of his harshest critics has once again stirred the pot by taking another dig at the former fighter.

Colby Covington takes a fresh dig at Dustin Poirier after his recent arrest

Colby Covington was one of the first fighters to react after Atlanta police arrested Dustin Poirier on Father’s Day. The former UFC welterweight, who recently announced his retirement from the promotion, blasted ‘The Diamond’ on social media, implying that he let down his family on what should have been a celebratory day. After that, Covington took another shot at Poirier, this time using the former lightweight’s arrest to promote his upcoming Real American Freestyle fight with Arman Tsarukyan.

“I’ve been getting a lot of feedback about my take on the Dustin Poirier situation,” Covington said on Instagram. “I hear you guys, and I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge that Dustin is wrestling with personal demons and his intrusive racist thoughts. And I’ll be wrestling Arman Tsarukyan at Real American Freestyle live from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 18, only on FOX Nation.”

Here, ‘Chaos’ appeared to reference Poirier’s use of the N-word, which was captured on the police bodycam footage during his confrontation with officers. And Covington wasn’t the only one to mention it. Reigning middleweight champion Sean Strickland also reacted to the clip while trolling Poirier.

As the backlash continued to build, his former opponent King Green responded to Colby Covington’s comments and came to Poirier’s defense. That said, as the former UFC veteran navigates through a difficult phase, hopefully, he can move past it and return to being the disciplined MMA fighter that fans have long known him as.