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UFC fighter Dustin Poirier recently went viral for threatening to fight a police officer while blackout drunk at an airport.
Dustin Poirier's UFC journey reveals the psychological toll of fighting and challenges of retirement in MMA.
Key Takeaways
- MMA fighters face severe psychological and physical challenges beyond the cage.
- Dustin Poirier's story highlights the emotional complexity and identity struggles in combat sports.
- Support systems like family are vital for fighters’ mental health and career longevity.
- Retirement from fighting can be more difficult than the fights themselves.
- Awareness of brain injuries and mental health issues in MMA is crucial for fighter safety.
What the video covers
- Dustin Poirier went viral for a controversial airport incident while blackout drunk, highlighting deeper psychological struggles.
- The video explores the mental and physical damage fighters endure, including brain trauma and substance abuse.
- Poirier's early career showed raw power but technical doubts, with a deeply emotional connection to fighting.
- Fighting served as a defense mechanism for Dustin, growing up in a tough neighborhood.
- MMA became his salvation, giving him purpose and a sense of belonging.
- His wife Jolie played a crucial role in supporting him through his career and personal struggles.
- Despite setbacks, Poirier evolved into a well-rounded fighter with elite training partners.
- The video discusses the difficulty fighters face when retiring and the identity crisis that follows.
- It also touches on the dangers of CTE and the hidden long-term effects of repeated head trauma.
- Poirier has publicly committed to sobriety and expressed remorse for his past behavior.
Chapters
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
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Yeah, tell them. Tell him. Come on. Get a couple, 'cause it's going to be bad, bro. Just, just going to be bad, buddy.
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Yo, bro. Bro, bro, what's up, bro? Relax. 37. And while everyone online was laughing at Dustin confidently saying the N-word, the story behind this altercation is much darker than people realize. Over the past few years, Dustin has been
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unusually honest about something most fighters refuse to talk about: the psychological damage that comes from spending your entire adult life preparing to kill or be killed in front of millions of people. Fighters' brains are being scrambled from taking blows to
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the head. Their bodies are being destroyed by severely dehydrating them. They cope with the pain with substance abuse. And as crazy as it sounds, walking away from fighting is actually harder than stepping into the cage. But I'm afraid of a lot of things, but like
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fighting was a cloud in my mind that never went away for 20 years, right?
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And now I wake up and it's, it's gone. Like, what, what do I do?
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I'm still trying to find out, Joe. I don't know. In hindsight, the airport incident wasn't the shocking part. It's how many warning signs we overlooked before it happened. Many people questioned if Dustin "The Diamond" Poirier was talented enough to have a successful career in
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mixed martial arts, particularly when he lost his lightweight debut in the WEC against Danny Castillo. Competing in his home state of Louisiana, Dustin had dangerous knockout power like a boxer, but people doubted whether his technical limitations would prevent him from ever
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becoming a champion. If he could catch you with his left hand, like in his fight with Zachary Miklrite, he looked like a pro. But against the Korean Zombie, he looked like he was always going to get destroyed by proficient
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grapplers. And from the very beginning, you could tell that Dustin had [music] a deeply emotional relationship with fighting.
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He's a warrior, and I'm sure he fights next, and he's going to put on a great show, but you know, I was supposed to win tonight. I trained hard. I, uh, I owed it to my wife and to myself. And
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you know, it's a, it's a, it's a big hit to me, man. This is my life, you know.
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And you weren't, you weren't going to, you weren't going to tap, man. You were just, you're just going to go get put out. You were like, I don't know. I, I felt it closing and then, then he kind of stopped it. I don't
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think I was out. And, uh, in round two he, uh, I think so. Yeah. [laughter] And, and what's it look like?
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You see, Dustin wasn't just a guy who discovered he could throw some punches. Fighting was a necessary defense mechanism in the neighborhood he grew up in.
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One day, man, he must have been just like 10 years old and he'd gotten in trouble at school. He had a note. He came, he got off the school bus and he ran in the house. He said, "Here's a
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note. [music] I did something at school. Give me a whipping if you're going to give me a weapon, 'cause I think somebody's ready to fight me down the road." They'd get these boxing matches going on in the neighborhood and, and Dustin did that and
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he, you know, he was the best out of all the little kids, the little guys that boxed. And then there was this one guy that came to meet him at his grandma's and said, "Well, you haven't boxed [music] me yet." And Dustin like
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knocked out his teeth and broke his jaw. And he was like 5 years older than Dustin and we had to go to court for that.
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But brawling in the streets will only lead to jail, serious injury, or death. MMA was the only thing that could save him from himself.
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I was really, you know, nervous when I got into the UFC and, and it was hard for me, you know, it wasn't hard. I was just nervous and I wasn't, I think I'm coming into my own in the UFC. I feel
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comfortable here. I feel like I belong here when I'm in the locker room warming up. When I walk to the cage, when I step in there, I feel like it's mine. I'm, I'm here for a reason. So, I think that's
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why my last two fights have been finishes. You know, my whole outlook on life has, uh, has changed because of MMA.
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I've traveled the world. I, I've met people, had experiences, and it, this is all because of mixed martial arts.
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And after every victory, he'd be brought to tears. [music] He said, "I care so much that I make it to be life or death. Every decision in training camp, every decision in the fight leading up to the fight, I make it
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so huge in my mind, but it's just another fight. I compete every day, so it should be no problem to go out there and perform. I fight every day, so it really showed me and helped me.
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He's finally found what he's been looking for all of this time. [music] I know that he has been waiting his whole life to climb up something and put his hands in the air because he did it the best.
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With no exaggeration at all, fighting was Dustin's entire identity. But luckily he had his wife and high school sweetheart Jolie who was ride or die from day one. I had a girl I loved and she loved me and I had somewhere to be.
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So I feel like having that to come home to and a reason to be home every night but also her belief because a lot of times I didn't believe in myself. She believed in me so much that it was hard
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to quit on myself whenever she thinks I can do whatever I want. Dustin's emotional attachment to the sport is what made him a fan favorite and an underdog. He wasn't flashy. He wasn't much of a trash talker. Just a genuine
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dude who loved the sport just as much as the fans. Add on the fact that he was devoutly faithful to his wife and he became deeply relatable to his supporters. But beneath all of that were the early warning signs of someone who
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had built his entire identity around surviving the most dangerous sport on earth. Because when your life revolves around chasing violence, enduring unimaginable physical pain and experiencing emotional highs that almost nobody else will ever understand, [music] eventually ordinary life starts
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Coming into 2014, Poirier was evolving into a much more well-rounded fighter. He beat Eric Koch in an evenly matched bout, showing some great defensive ground game and then delivered a brutal first-round knockout against Diego Brondo. And although he took a tough
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loss against Cub Swanson, he bounced back with a second-round TKO against Akira Corassani. Every time it looked like Poirier was about to be knocked down for good, he'd always find a way to fight his way back in. And that's
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because he made his way into a circle of elite coaches and training partners from American Top Team. Poirier stated, "When I was the big fish, I was making it up as I went, kind of. I think I was
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overtraining a lot. I might still have a small problem with wanting to do more than I should, but watching these guys put in the work, take the nights t
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training alongside these guys. This is home away from home now. I really feel like I'm in a good place here." And even though he was refining his strengths as a striker and honing in on his Brazilian jiu-jitsu defenses to contend with
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expert ground fighters, he was going to need a whole new set of skills to handle Conor McGregor's mental warfare.
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Kept talking more and more hype and more hype. I saw an opportunity here to to maybe headline a card or be on a big pay-per-view. I don't know where he's going to go after this. You know, I believe his career is deteriorating. He
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his his skill level has stagnated. Personally, I don't think he wants to fight. I get the same vibe off of him as I got off of Cole.
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You know, to tell you the honest truth, I don't think a guy from Ireland gets to this level and gets this much hype about him by accident. But now he's he's gotten himself into a serious situation.
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September 27th, 2014, Connor was loud, arrogant, charismatic, and exceptional at getting inside his opponent's heads. Dustin was the quieter, humble, likable fighter who wasn't equipped to play that psychological game yet. If you look closely at his eyes, they're offline
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to where I am. Emotions cloud reaction. So when I shifted fast, his emotions are clouding his reaction. So his eyes couldn't track me the same way it's going to be in the fight. When I shuffle in there and make them little sharp
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turns, his eyes won't be able to follow my my movement. That's when the shot will hit him. That's when he'll go stiff.
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It is it's personal and it's business. It's a it's a grudge match. I don't like this guy, you know, and uh it sounds like he doesn't like me, obviously.
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I don't dislike him and I don't like him. I don't anything him for me. He does not exist.
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Well, we're going to go in there and see who's a better fighter, you know. That's what it comes down to. Um it it's fun.
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It's the first time I've ever fought somebody talking like this. So, it makes it a little exciting for me, but it's also aggravating cuz I have to keep hearing it over and over and over again.
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I believe he has a P-shaped head. If you look at his head, it's a it's shaped like a pee. It's a weird looking head.
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I've [clears throat] never disliked somebody that much that I'm ever proud of. But it's all friendly games to me at the end of the day. Unfortunately, he can't take that.
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Unfortunately for Dustin, Connor<unk>'s mind games were much more effective than anything he threw back in return. Dustin looked terrible in the ring. Connor landing massive left hands breaking through Dustin's guard, which ultimately ended in a TKO victory in just 1 minute
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and 46 seconds. Porier left quietly and later tweeted, "Live by the sword, die by the sword. I'm truly heartbroken.
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Fighting Pete Conor McGregor was a massive opportunity for Dustin, but unfortunately getting mauled made many believe he wasn't ready to be a top contender, [music] but in reality, there was another factor that was consuming his mind and body, which made it
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difficult for him to perform, which was the extreme weight cuts he was enduring. Porier consistently cut his weight down to 145 lbs to compete in the featherweight division. Weight classes exist for a simple reason, to keep larger fighters from having an unfair
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size and power advantage over smaller fighters. But over time, fighters discovered a little loophole. They would dehydrate their bodies to lose as much weight as possible to make the official weigh-in, then spend the next 24 hours eating and rehydrating before the fight.
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So, while Dustin officially weighed 145 lbs on Friday, by the time he stepped into the cage on Saturday, he could be 15, 20, 30 lb heavier. The problem with this was his natural body weight was around 190 pounds. So he would lose
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nearly 50 pounds in the matter of weeks. I would walk around 190. Jesus. I'd get up to 190.
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Oh my god. You get up to 190 and go down to 145. 45. Dude, let me tell you this. When [snorts] I fought Cup Swanson in London, England, I took it on short notice and it was right around Christmas. So I was
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eating and when they called me uh they asked me my weight and I told them 170, but I was like 187 or something.
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[laughter] And it was like really short notice. So me and my team fly out there. Um I'm 30 lbs over when we land. They check your weight fight week when you show up to make sure. I was 176 and it was a 45.
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How the did you make that? I don't know. Almost died. I don't I feel like weigh-ins were kind of blurry.
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I don't like my memory's gone from weigh-ins. It's It's not good for you. The lasting effects of cutting weight can destroy a person's day-to-day life or even kill them. The primary tactic to lose weight is severe dehydration, which
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goes against everything. This channel stands for drink water. The cutting kills short-term memory, concentration, and even self-esteem, which triggers depressive episodes. Not only that, but it limits the fighter's ability to recover from any hits they receive in the middle of the octagon. Recovery from
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concussions and muscle damage is either slowed or completely compromised during and after a state of cutting. In addition to serious cardiovascular distress, you can see countless fighters heading to weigh-ins looking weak, emaciated, and looking like the furthest thing from a warrior ready for battle.
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It's [music] insane that 24 hours later, they will be brawling another beast. And as if the weight cut wasn't crazy enough, they're getting kicked, punched, and choked while the body is trying to recover. The damage can likely leave
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them confused and suffering from disorientation for the rest of their lives. Even MMA trainers and nutritionists like Mike Dolce have expressed [music] how this isn't normal and has created a dangerous standard for everyone involved from the reduction in
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water weight through dehydration that can take up to 48 hours, a minimum of 48 hours to fully replenish itself. Now, the average UFC middleweight typically walks around about 210 lb [music] and they have to weigh in at 186. So, it's
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dangerous. It's extremely dangerous and done the wrong way, [music] it's it can be deadly. It truly can and there will be lifelong repercussions as a result of a career spent cutting weight the wrong way.
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Dustin decided to move up to the 155 lb lightweight division so he didn't have to cut as much weight. And from there, he started building back his contender status. He went on a four-fight win streak against unranked and lower ranked
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fighters, but then got brutally knocked out in the first round by an unsuspecting Michael Johnson.
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Just disappointed in myself, upset with myself for making dumb mistakes and getting so emotional and uh life goes on man.
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Going on winning streaks followed by devastating losses were starting to destroy him mentally. After Conor McGregor won the mental battle over him, it changed Dustin. He wanted to destroy his opponents and laugh in their faces.
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And he knew he needed to control his mind better in the future. I need to respect everybody's punching power and uh not get so emotional on fights. It's cost me every fight that I've ever really wanted to hurt the guy
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and and and felt that, you know, anger. I' I've made huge mistakes. So, just take a step back and and use the use my skill, man. I've been doing this a long time.
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But this time, he would actually take his own advice. [music] He beat the veteran Jim Miller. than the former lightweight and welterweight champion Anthony Pettis, showing massive improvements in grappling with a tight triangle that broke one of Anony's ribs.
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But what really solidified his top dog status was his 2018 fight with Justin Gachi. The man had a rockolid chin and his strikes carried a weight that were far more devastating than Connors. The fight was absolutely brutal, lasting
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four rounds, and Dustin took a nasty shot to the eye only to recover and use his now legendary striking power to take the win. I I knew that was going to be key. I knew focus was going to be key. I knew I was
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the better fighter. You know, I knew I had the better skill, but I knew deep down I would have to pull out the will to get this win. And I think that's what it was. I, like I said at the beginning
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of the broadcast, I knew that there was going to be times I I had to overcome some adversity. I knew I was going to get hit with big shots, but I had to keep moving, keep my jab in
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his face, and and that's what we did. I I trust myself that whatever I put myself into out there, whatever positions we get into, I'll be able to pull out and I'll be able to get get the upper hand advantage. And and you know,
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I just I believe in me. This was the moment Porier really felt like he hit his stride. He got a rematch against Eddie Alvarez that same year where he absolutely teed off on Eddie's face, leaving him unrecognizable. And he
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followed that win with a decision victory against a much more evolved Max Holloway. [music] It was an all-out war where Dustin delivered some of the most insane strikes of his career. And the win resulted in him securing the UFC's
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interim lightweight title. And although the belt was wrapped around his waist, the interim title has a bit of an asterisk on it. Like many people believe, it doesn't make a fighter a true champion. You see, Dustin went on a
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legendary winning streak against the best fighters the lightweight division had to offer, all while in their primes.
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Because of this, he was solidified as the people's champion. But the actual champion at the time was Hhabib Ngamedov. But Khabib was unable to fight due to the NSAC suspending him after he jumped out of the cage post finishing
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Conor McGregor and attacking Dylan Danis in the crowd. The interim belt was created so that weight classes can remain active and fighters can strive for glory in case the actual champion can't defend their belt. Luckily for Dustin, Khabib's suspension was about to
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get lifted and he would finally get the opportunity to earn the belt the legit way facing the most challenging opponent of his career.
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When you look at him as an opponent, what do you see from Justin Porier against you?
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Uh long time I follow him. He have very good background. He have good good ground game. Not bad. He have good striking game, you know, like versus me.
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I think I have to maul him like I do with everybody. Khabib was undefeated with a 27-0 record and never spilled a drop of blood in the octagon. And his success can be attributed to his bear-like ability to
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bring opponents to the floor and crush them into submission. Now, sure, Dustin was on a meteoric win streak, and his additional BJJ training to black belt made him a much better grappler than he was at the start of his career. But in
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order to beat Habib and take the lightweight belt, he'd really have to avoid being on the ground and strike harder and faster than before. But when they stepped in the octagon, it was simply a massacre. Khabib exhausted Porier just like he had predicted.
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[music] Dustin spent a majority of the match impressively spinning out of his grapples, but inevitably would be trapped only seconds later. Ultimately, Khabib held on to the title, and Dustin was absolutely crushed. [music] Even though his performance against Hhabib
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compared to other fighters was pretty good. When I heard him, maybe in the back of my head, the takedown was I felt like I couldn't get anything going with my stand up. He He's very awkward. One punch at a time or him dipping and
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throwing a knee. I felt like the way he's he was pulling back, it was hard for me to set up my my my combinations and getting get into a rhythm. Um, you know, I know I I sound like I have a lot
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of excuses, [music] but I was just so prepared, you know, for tonight. This one really hurts. Huh? [music] Dustin was likely crying because deep down he probably knew he could not beat Khabib even if he got another chance.
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Everyone in the division felt [music] that way. But he also knew that this could have been his last opportunity to become a true champion. Then again, he was 30 years old and retirement was not even remotely considered an option. He
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rebounded quickly, winning a fight against Dan Hooker, and then got the call to get revenge on the man who derailed his career the first time, Conor McGregor. What was so interesting about this fight was that Dustin and Connor were both in the exact same
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position. They both went on legendary win streaks only to get absolutely destroyed by Hhabib. Then they both bounced back from that loss with a win against a UFC journeyman. They were both humbled, Connor especially, which is why during the buildup, there wasn't much
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trash talk or typical Connor antics. Many, many years ago, he rose up, became champion. He's given so much back. I'm honored to share this octagon with this man. I know we have this competitive fire and it's going to be a good
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firework filled bout, but the respect is admirable for this man from me. Don't want to make it seem like we're up here giving each other back massages, but Connor, I just want to clear the air. Conor's team, uh, McGregor Sports
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Entertainment did reach out to my foundation and they are, uh, you know, starting [music] the donation to the Good Fight Foundation, and we have huge, huge plans for that. So, Connor, man to man.
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My pleasure, brother. My pleasure. Thank you. You're going to help a lot of people with that.
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Yes. And you, you. Previously, Connor's mental games were a major part of why he was able to be so dominant. So, this calm approach only benefited Dustin.
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So, uh, just it being a little bit more calm for me was was was smooth sailing, man. And with Dustin able to just focus on his game, he was able to destroy Connor just as badly as Hhabib did.
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[music] Porier chipped away at Connor's front leg with brutal calf kicks. This hurt his mobility which left his face wide open. Dustin let his heavy hands fly and became the first opponent to ever TKO Connor in the UFC and in a way
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beating Connor was bigger than a championship. This matchup still remains the seventh highest grossing, aka most popular pay-per-view event in history across all sports. Dustin's fame reached new heights, and he proved to the world that McGregor's dominance was over.
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Obviously, Connor felt otherwise, which is why he demanded a rematch just 6 months later. And this time around, McGregor tried to bring back all of his old mental games.
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Nah, straight business, man. This is uh You're only a little [screaming] Your wife is your husband.
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You're only a little of a thing. A silly little hillbilly. Jolie's wife. Jolie's wife. Jolie's wife. You little thing.
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Connor probably should have tried this energy for the previous fight because now Dustin had much more confidence and knew he could beat Connor. Connor, in the buildup to the last fight, you were unusually kind to Dustin. Now on fight
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week, it's the exact opposite. So when did that switch happen? He got knocked the out.
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[cheering] Not McGregor fast, McGregor sleeve. The rivalry between Dustin Porier and Conor McGregor could have been an actual movie. In the first half of the first round, Connor looked poised, controlled, and the crowd was on his side. But after
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a risky guillotine attempt, Porier was bashing his face in on the ground. It was one of the most exciting first rounds in UFC history, letting fans know they were about to watch an all-out war.
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But with a few seconds left in the first round, Connor suffered a freak injury where his leg literally snapped in half, making him unable to continue the fight and leaving Porier the winner once again. [music] Now, there were a lot of
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things that contributed to Conor McGregor's downfall, but this one really broke him and damaged his reputation in a pretty humiliating way. In his postfight interview, Connor verbally attacked Dustin and his wife.
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This is NOT OVER. IF WE HAVE TO TAKE THIS outside for him, it's all outside.
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WE DON'T GIVE A WIFE IS IN ME DMS. HEY, BABY. HIT ME BACK UP. I'LL TAKE YOU LATER ON. We'll be on the party TO WIN BABY. YOU'RE LOOKING BIG.
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For Connor, this was a new low. Disrespecting his own wife while trashing another man's wife, only to be carried out in a stretcher. And in case you were curious, the direct message from Porier's wife to Connor was revealed to be nothing more than just a
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message request. So, nobody knows what it actually said. Now, for Dustin, defeating Connor twice was definitely an amazing milestone. And even though McGregor fans would heavily contest this, he wasn't exactly a top contender.
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So for Dustin being 32 years old, these wins didn't exactly prove to people that he was going to be the champion. On top of that, Dustin's wife Jolie made him promise that at the age of 18 that he
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would stop fighting and retire at 35. He said, "I want to be there for my family for the long run. I want to watch my daughter get married and always be there for her, not just physically, but mentally, too. I want to leave with my
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faculties. This isn't good for you. Getting kicked in need and punched in the head for 18 years isn't good for you. Every fighter is very aware of the looming threat of irreparable damage to their brains which can lead to chronic
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traumatic encphylopathy or CTE. This condition from the cutting, bruising and head trauma among topheavy fighters leads to impulsive and violent behavior, more memory loss, sleep deprivation, and sometimes a complete change in personality that can come and go without
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warning. The most vicious part about CTE is that the only way it can truly be diagnosed is by examining a deep part of the brain that doctors can only reach until after the person dies. So, you'll never know until it's too late. But when
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guys build their entire identity and purpose and structure around the fight game, it's nearly impossible to leave.
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MMA legends like Chuck Liddell have been pretty vocal about how the routine of fighting allowed him to avoid handling all the problems in his real life. I miss the whole process of being a fighter, going to going to training camp, being
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able well going into training camp because it was like you got to shut off the rest of your world. I mean, I got I got to be in my own world. I like to be well, not not really shut off, but
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you're able to not worry like I I didn't worry about it. I I just Everyone knew I had one job. I get ready for this fight. Get ready for the fight.
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I And if if I if they got other other stresses or other problems, they'll save if they can save it. if he can wait, they'll wait till after the fight to talk to me about it, right?
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You know, so you had that kind of grace and then you got to go hang out with the guys, you know, a couple times a day and, you know, I got the routines you got into and it was just I I enjoyed it.
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Like I enjoyed training. I like fighting. I like learning. I like learning. I've been a I love martial arts when I was a kid.
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Basically, the longer you're in the octagon, the harder it is to [music] leave it. And the harder it is to leave it, the more you're willing to keep going until it's too late to recover.
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And this was about to become Dustin's reality. The end of his career wouldn't be a soft landing. His long-winning streaks were over, and there's a decent argument to be made that he waited longer than he should have to hang up
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the gloves. From 2021 onward, Dustin Porier went on a streak of exciting fights, but it made fans realize he was definitely past his prime. His Brazilian jiu-jitsu match with Charles Olivera was impressive, but ended in a rear naked
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choke, causing him to miss a chance at the lightweight title once again. He'd bounce back by using the same move that finished him against Olivera to beat Michael Chandler, but then suffered a brutal headkick knockout in a rematch
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against Justin Gachi. That blow was so severe that many believe it left permanent damage to Porier's brain. This fight was also for the BMF belt, which stands for baddest mother. [music] Unlike official UFC championship belts, the BMF title is more about respect and
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recognition than rankings. It's for fighters who bring excitement, aggression, and pure entertainment to the octagon. So, the fact that Dustin never secured a real championship belt and now couldn't even get the BMF title just made this loss sting even more.
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Dustin said that after this fight was the darkest moment of his life. That was probably like one of the lowest points of my my [music] life. You know, I really felt down. I don't think I like pinpointed what really brought me down.
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Obviously, getting kicked in the head wasn't good. I worked so hard to like build myself up and be successful and have a career and fighting's tough, you know, and I feel like I've [music] got myself to a point where I'm respected by
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my peers in fighting and stuff like that. And I feel like when I got home from that loss, it was like the world is just going to throw me away. Remember when I text you that? That's how I felt.
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And one night you feel like boom, everybody's throwing you away now. You know, like everything I've done before that feels like it doesn't matter. You know, it just sucks. It was like a bad place to be in in myself. [music] You
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know, waking up every morning, I was just not happy. Sadly, what Porier was experiencing was extremely common amongst fighters. He was just one of the few that was willing to talk about it. Another ex MMA fighter, Uriah Hall, has been outspoken
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about how the greatest pain wasn't from any trauma in the ring, but simply being forced to leave.
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You know, after leaving MMA, man, I fell into a really deep hole. If I can talk about it, I fell into a deep depression.
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A lot of athletes when you do something for so long, that's what you identify as, you know, and I spent the last 20 years of my life committing myself, my soul to one attribute and then all of a
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sudden it's gone. It's taken away. So, it was some really dark, deep places. I mean, when I say I felt depressed, I even at one point looked at my firearm like, "Wait a minute, I can go down a
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really dark path if I don't get out of this." Uriah was not alone in his feelings. Pro boxer Ricky Hatton discussed the triumphs and pitfalls of fighting and the postcareer bouts of depression that eventually led to him taking his own
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life. Fill out the Manchester Arena to be seen your name up in lights in in Las Vegas.
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Nolan Liam Gallagher Oasis carrying your belts in. [cheering] Once that dream is over, once you've used and you've experienced that high of being so loved by so many uh so many people and you know and winning world titles and [cheering] people walking
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down the street, you know, there's Ricky walking down Las Vegas, there's Ricky and you know, [snorts] you know, once that's gone, it's a very hard thing to come to come back down to earth to. When you listen to these fighters, it's
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almost like they're giving up on a drug rather than a professional sport. The adrenaline from literally fighting for a knockout is so powerful that it almost seems to cut your personality in half.
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But it doesn't just happen to those who haven't won all the glory. Even Mike Tyson, who is an undisputed legend, achieving everything a fighter could dream of and more, is constantly fighting in inner battle.
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The more I studied, the more I know the art of fight. I know the art of war.
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That's all I ever studied. That's [clears throat] why I'm so feared. That's why they feared me when I was in the ring. Cuz that's all my I was annihilated. That's all I was born for.
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And now those days are gone. It's empty. I'm nothing. I'm working on feeling the art of humbleness. Can you be with me?
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That's the reason why I'm crying cuz I'm not that person no more. And I miss him.
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Cuz sometimes I feel like a because I don't want I don't want that person to come out cuz if he comes out, hell is coming with him. And it's not funny at all. It must sound cool like I'm a tough guy. It's just I hate that
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guy. I'm scared of him. It seems like the only way Tyson can cope with the man he is versus the man he used to be is by convincing himself that none of it ever mattered.
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Look at this stuff. This is history here. You You're history. This is garbage. I can say, "Hey, I bled for garbage." So, this is meaningless.
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No, at one time it meant a lot. When you're just a young kid, this is everything to you. But then you realize your priorities change and you just want your children to be happy and do nice things and that makes you happy. This is
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nothing. This is just nothing, man. Dustin learned what other fighters were struggling with and he knew he needed to focus on his mental health a little more.
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Honestly, bro, I'm a danger to myself when I'm have nothing. No goal circle on my calendar. I'm a danger to myself, man. I'm home. my drink. I'm It's just not good. I have to have some kind of battle.
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He revealed that he actually took the next fight against Benois Santeni because he felt that not fighting was destroying him more.
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Like we were talking about earlier, I think having a name, having a date to circle on my calendar kind of put me in in the right direction mentally. It really drowned out all the the idleness of of sitting at home or overthinking.
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You know, I had such a big challenge in front of me that that's all I focused on. Everything else like blinders.
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That's that's how fighting is for me. Is that part of the reasons why you also took that fight? You think cuz you're like, "Yeah, it just happened. They called where I was in the spot of my life like
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and mentally in a place where whatever name they called with, I would say yes.
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I just needed a challenge, you know, cuz I needed to be at war with something else besides myself cuz I was fighting myself every day." Porier would end up winning this fight with a stellar knockout that put him in
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a very interesting position. Physically, he was certainly past his prime, but his reputation had never been stronger.
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After years of wars inside the octagon, he'd become one of the most respected fighters on the roster. a future Hall of Famer who had beaten some of the biggest names in UFC history. But he was still missing that undisputed championship
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title. And with Islam Makachef having already cleared out the entire lightweight division, Porier had quietly become one of the only legitimate contenders he had left to fight. Even though fight fans low-key knew Dustin was not going to win, the UFC giving him
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a shot felt like a sign of respect. But more importantly, it gave Dustin one more chance to postpone the question he'd been trying to avoid. What am I going to do besides fight? His performance against Islam was just
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another example of why people love Dustin so much. You can just never count him out. His takedown defense was incredible and he nearly went the distance. [music] There were plenty of moments in this fight where it looked like he could win, but ultimately he
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lost by submission via a dar choke. And him being so close to victory made it harder for him to fully confirm if he would retire or not.
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I mean, I know I could compete with the best of these guys. It's just like if I do fight again, what am I fighting for?
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Just to fight? It has to I've done that 50 times. I got a little girl I love and I got to see. I I think this could be it. Honestly, Joe, the thing is Dustin was straight up scared to retire because he thought his
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life would become meaningless. the life that I lived at a young age, like the dopamine and all the endorphins and the rushes. I've been so high on top of the world, like after knocking Connor out, after winning my first UFC fight, after
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making my first this much amount, like so high that when I come back down and I fly back home to Louisiana, it's like nothing gets me excited. [music] Like I'm just scared of that. Like when I put the gloves down hopefully here in New
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Orleans in the summer and never fight again. I'm never going to feel that again, right?
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Like what is going to get me excited? And so he decided to take on another fight against Max Holloway. Max was also near the end of his career and this was being touted as one last match between two badass lightweight legends. Dustin
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said before the big fight, "It's not something I thought about when I was a young kid in my early 20s or mid20s.
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It's something that as I got older in the sport, I started realizing things and noticing things and doing my research and just growing up and realizing this isn't good for you. I'm not saying don't become a fighter. I'm
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just saying take care of yourself. The fight against Holloway was the fitting end to a legendary career. Holloway had some nasty strikes at the start that put Dustin on the ground, but the Diamond bounced back, nearly knocking Holloway
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out and trying to finish him off with a guillotine. The back and forth was incredible to watch, but Dustin would ultimately lose by decision. And now he is trying to respect his original promise and officially retire from fighting at 36 years old.
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That's where I'm at right now. like leaving fighting in the rear view. It's like what do I do with my life? Every day I would wake up for the last 20 years, how can I be better fighter? I
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want to be the champion and then boom, you lay the gloves down and you wake up and you're a civilian. It's like I'm relearning who I am. Like I always knew fighting was just something I did. It wasn't who I was. Even though you know
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that and you think that like it I don't know who I am without fighting. I'm a father. I'm a husband. I'm a lot of things but like fighting was a cloud in my mind that never went away for 20
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years. And now I wake up and it's it's gone. and like what what do I do? I'm still trying to find out, Joe. I don't know.
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But even with therapy and keeping himself busy with gigs, it was only a matter of time where Dustin would have to face the deafening silence of retirement. He went from drinking for social occasions to drinking whenever he felt a need to distract himself at home.
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He felt aimless. And on Father's Day, June 21st, 2026, after saying goodbye to Jolie and his daughter, Porier would arrive for a flight for business completely wasted. After being denied access to the plane, law enforcement arrived to the scene to find Porier in a
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state that didn't match his own personality. And he's insanely lucky that the cop who arrived on scene knew who he was and deescalated the situation flawlessly.
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Yeah. Tell him tell him. Come on. Get a couple years cuz it's going to be bad, bro. Just just It's going to be bad, my Yo, bro. Bro, bro, what's up, bro? Relax 37.
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several units. Several units fight, bro. Relax. Relax. Relax, bro. Relax. Relax bro. Relax. I'm going to bang you up, bro. Relax.
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A good one. Just relax. Give me a good one. They kicked him off his flag. This guy's a UFC.
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You know what's going on, bro? Talk to me. The beast is lying hoes, man.
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Let's go. Arrest me. Let's go. Arrest me. That's the best way, dog. Pound it. Pound it.
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All right. All right, man. No, you did a great job, bro. You did a great job. While the incident went viral on social media mostly for him saying the n-word, being meme'med to an acronym IGBN, the big picture surrounding this
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is deeply depressing because it shows that he was slowly losing the inner battle he had been dealing with his whole life. Dustin was arrested and charged with misdemeanor public drunkenness, but quickly posted bail and didn't spend that much time away from
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the public eye, probably because staying busy doing podcasts and talk shows is what prevents him from slipping up again. After a short hiatus, he posts to Instagram, "Working on myself. I appreciate every single one of you that has reached out to me. I will be better
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because of all of this. I promise you." Then he sat down on the Diary of a CEO podcast to look back on his life, amazing career, and possible consequences of his actions. And unlike other people who would probably blame it
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all on their childhood trauma, Dustin owned his mistakes and desired nothing more than to put it all behind him.
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And when I feel like that, I know I shouldn't drink. and I drank anyway. So, you know, not that my father anything's an excuse. Obviously, I did what I did.
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Um, but I knew I knew better in the moment when I'm feeling like that to to to drink or do any, you know, alcohol has never benefited me, especially in times like that where I'm mentally not the best.
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Because the situation was alcohol-related, Dustin's sponsors are starting to flee to avoid any backlash.
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It's kind of murky right now. I think it's still too fresh. I know uh one big one isn't a sponsor anymore.
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Oh, you lost a sponsor. Oh, yeah. I'm I'm sure I lost a few. I'm waiting to see when the smoke clears who's still with me or not. [music] That day cost me not only embarrassment and embarrassment to my family. Uh it cost
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me a lot of money, too. You know, I'm I'm losing sponsors. I'm losing gigs and losing things that I had set up. The sponsor Dustin is likely referring to as Bud Light, who terminated his contract immediately, which prompted another
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fighter, Shawn Strickland, to come to his defense by opening up a discussion about alcohol abuse and the hypocrisy of corporations. And there's so many Americans that drink this and they and they love life. They go they go play
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catch with their son. And I love that. But sadly, that's not the case. A lot of Americans areed up. They don't have to go to the dealer on the corner. They could just walk into the supermarket and buy as many of these as they want. But
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what made me so mad is just, you know, talking to Dustin and hearing things to the grapevine. I heard that Bud Light might let Dustin go. And let me tell you, that is the most unamerican thing you can do. You spent $6 billion
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creating an addict, creating someone that wants to grab this every time he's having a bad day and bring out the worst in him. And in his lowest time, you're contemplating letting him go. That is the most unAmerican thing you could do.
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But like if you want to represent America, you stand by him and you help him.
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The truth is losing a sponsor, specifically an alcohol sponsor, isn't the biggest concern for Dustin right [music] now. If anything, he's more concerned about how this has damaged his relationship with his wife and kids.
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While missing out on that money is costly, the real struggle is finding purpose after the one thing that drove you is gone. Some days I wake up and I feel like I made the right decision, you know? Uh I need to be home. I need to be
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doing things around the house. I need to be here every day with my kids making them breakfast. And then some days I wake up and I'm like, what the am I doing? I can beat all these guys still.
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You know, I can still beat these guys, but I don't know if that ever leaves. I might be 60-year-old having coffee one day saying the same thing. I could beat these guys. I don't know if that's just a competitive spirit. I don't know if
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that's just fighting your whole life. I don't I don't know. But I these top guys that are winning now and and fighting now on these upcoming cards, I can I can beat them still.
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I know I [music] can. And this might be the most troubling part of the story. While Dustin vowed to stop professionally fighting in the UFC as a lightweight, he definitely has that same bug that other great fighters can't
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seem to escape. That even though they are aging and well past their primes, they still have that desire to return to fighting. The way he looked in his last fight, it's like I'm picking on somebody. I'm trying to get a come back
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and get a payday and get an easy win. He looked like, you know. Would you want to fight him in MMA or would you want want to box him?
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I've always wanted to box. I'll either either. And now with Zufa, they don't want any cross. They don't want any crossover.
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But you'd love you'd love that, wouldn't you? To have a little bit of a go at boxing.
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I would love to. I've been bo That's what you I started my martial arts journey. I was boxing before anything. Before jiu-jitsu, before anything. I would love to.
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We need to make it up a month, dude. Let's do it. Let's do it. Let's Let's start. Let's go talk to the UFC right [laughter] now.
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Give me a date. Give me a date. I'll get off the peptides and I'll beat Nate.
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[laughter] Dustin only won four out of his last 14 rounds of fighting. The concussion from Justin really impacted his brain. And then he took 10 more rounds of damage after that fight. If he comes back to any sport that involves head shot, he is
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putting his family at greater risk of encountering CTE related mood swings and personality effects. I can beat these guys. Four out of 14 rounds. He should not try to beat any guys. Today, Dustin has been tracking his sobriety and
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announcing to the world that he is never drinking alcohol again. And he has been thoroughly apologetic for his behavior.
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If I'm advertising something I'm not going to be taking part in and promoting stuff that, you know, it's just it is what it is.
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Sure. You you don't want to be you don't want to be sitting here saying I don't drink and then being in a commercial for something that you're not using basically right and I don't have a problem with people there plenty of people out there
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who do drink responsibly I'm not one I'm not one so if you can drink responsibly have fun drink of Bud Light drink whatever the hell you want be responsible have a good time while much of the discussion is
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surrounding Dustin Porier's words or relationship with alcohol I think they're missing the much bigger picture here for decades fighting wasn't just his passion. [music] It was how he found purpose, coped with pain, measured his self-worth, and built a life for his
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family. That's an incredibly difficult thing to walk away from. We often think of addiction as something that comes in a bottle or a syringe. But maybe that's too narrow of a definition. Maybe it's anything that rewires your brain until
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life without it feels empty. And there are very few experiences on Earth more intense than walking into an arena with thousands of people watching knowing that another human being is trying to literally rip your head off. Dustin spent [music] years defeating some of
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the toughest fighters on the planet. But like so many legends before him, the hardest opponent was never standing across the cage. It was the version of himself that couldn't imagine life without an upcoming fight. And how he chooses to deal with this inner battle
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going forward will determine if it's going to be good or if it's going to be bad. My friend, knowing when to put the gloves down is not unique to Dustin.
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[music] The same thing happened to Floyd Mayweather, but mostly because he desperately needed the money. Check out this video to hear that
Topics:Dustin PoirierUFCMMAfighter mental healthCTEretirement strugglesmixed martial artsAmerican Top Teamfighter psychologysubstance abuse
