Episode summary
(JUST RECORDED) Dustin Poirier: I Deleted Social Media After The Incident
The Diary of a CEO
· · 1 hr 33 min · Hosts: Steven Bartlett · Guests: Dustin Poirier
Summary
Dustin Poirier says the airport arrest was the result of a bad mental state, not a single isolated mistake. He describes feeling a “cloud” of depression on Father’s Day, drinking anyway, and then losing control at the airport in Atlanta, where he was charged with public intoxication. He says he has since deleted social media, gone back to therapy, and decided to quit alcohol completely.
The episode also traces how Poirier’s childhood shaped him: a working-class upbringing in Lafayette, Louisiana, a father with alcoholism, fighting in the home, school expulsions, juvenile detention, and drinking from about 12 or 13. He says those experiences, along with the loss of fighting as his central purpose after retirement, help explain why his emotions can swing so sharply.
Poirier argues that retirement from elite sport can leave fighters vulnerable because fighting had been his therapy, his structure, and his identity for 20 years. He says he still feels the urge to compete, but now has to learn how to live as “businessman Dustin” and keep doing the daily work of therapy, discipline, and family life.
Key takeaways
- Poirier says he will cut alcohol completely out of his life because he cannot stop once he starts drinking.
- He says the airport incident came after Father’s Day grief about his homeless father and a depressive episode he recognized too late.
- Poirier says retirement has left him with a void, and he estimates life outside fighting is only about 20% as fulfilling.
- He says therapy is not a one-time fix and that he must keep doing the work every day, even when he feels better.
- Poirier credits Jolie with being an anchor in his life and says he would not have reached his fighting career without her support.
Notable quotes
“I started drinking in the airport and that's kind of what led to the incident”
“I've had bouts with depression throughout my career, but man, when it hits me, it's bad”
“That part of me that every day wake up, push yourself to be the best fighter you can be, is dead”
“No, nothing ever will nothing. I have a void inside of me that nothing will, you know, being a father is very fulfilling”
How the episode opens
I've had bouts with depression throughout my career, but man, when it hits me, it's bad. — Which kind of brings us to the airport incident? You know, I really messed up, man. — You and her and her. — Look what happened.
So, it's Father's Day and I felt good in the morning. I spent the morning with my kids, but then as I was traveling to work, I felt that feeling again. It's like a cloud in my head that I just can't get out from under. So, I started drinking.
I'll fight you right now. — No, I don't want to fight, bro. — And my emotions got the best of me. — Bro, relax. Relax. Relax, bro. Relax. got arrested. — This guy's a UFC. — Did I just ruin everything that I was working for? You know, I don't know yet. And it could have been so much worse.
What was going on in your mind?
I was angry at the world and I just couldn't stop thinking about my father. You know, he's actually homeless right now. And I tried to help him out and he's back out on the street.
Not that anything's an excuse, but it wasn't myself. And I never really spoke about it until right now, but I'm back in therapy. And when you sit down with somebody and start opening things up, you realize this could be linked to my childhood.
And when I think about your earliest contacts, you got a father that's an alcoholic, violence in the home, and your mom said that you were an alcoholic kid. — I started drinking at 12, 13, — Expelled from school as well.
And you got arrested and I didn't have any goals.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- alcohol sobriety
- retirement identity
- therapy and mental health
- airport arrest incident
- life after fighting
Companies and tickers mentioned
- The Good Fight Foundation
- UFC
Watch the episode
Watch “(JUST RECORDED) Dustin Poirier: I Deleted Social Media After The Incident” on YouTube
Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
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