Dustin Poirier, the retired UFC two-division former champion, was filmed screaming racial slurs at police officers and daring them to fight him in newly released footage from his June 21 arrest for public intoxication at an Atlanta airport.
"Arrest me!" Poirier is heard shouting at officers in the footage. "Bring me to the penitentiary because this is bulls***! Hoe-a** n******!"
Poirier was removed from a flight and arrested that day, with previously released footage already showing him threatening to fight officers. The new clips show he kept up that behavior after he was booked.
Poirier dares officers to fight him
"Listen, let's rock one," Poirier told one officer while handcuffed. "Y'all free me, and we go one-on-one. Let's go. Let's go, one-on-one. Me and you. Let's go. Let's see what happens."
Officers did not accept the challenge, though one frustrated officer was heard venting to a colleague while booking him. "He already got one cauliflower ear and I'm about to rip that b**** off and put it in his pocket," the officer said. Cauliflower ear is a common injury among fighters caused by repeated blows to the ear, and Poirier, a longtime mixed martial artist, has visibly developed the condition over his career.
Poirier kept pushing for a fight even after officers declined. "Man, f*** y'all! Stop f***ing around! Unlock this s*** so I can f*** y'all up!" he said.
Poirier turns on his own fans
Officers also warned Poirier that footage of his arrest would likely become public and reach his supporters. He responded by cursing them out as well.
"You know people are going to see this, right?" one officer asked him. "Man, f*** them, too!" Poirier snapped back.
"You gonna say that about your fans, man?" another officer asked. "F*** the fans! F*ck you guys!" Poirier replied.
"You can't do that," the officer told him. "They pay money for you!" Poirier also pleaded with officers to release him, telling them he has "kids, bro!"
Poirier says he is seeking help
Two days after the arrest, Poirier posted a statement on Instagram saying he was seeking help. "Im 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."
Poirier is widely regarded as one of the finest fighters of his generation, having held interim UFC titles in both the lightweight and featherweight divisions across a career built on some of the promotion's most memorable fights. He retired last year following his final bout at UFC 318.
Shortly after retiring, Poirier was asked by Full Send MMA how he was coping with life outside the cage. "Thanks for asking. I'm trying to navigate it bro. I'm good. Some days I'm great, some days I'm not so good. It's up and down honestly," he said. "If I'm not working towards something or trying to better my family, I'm a danger to myself."
