The 37-year-old Poirier was booked at 6:38 p.m., per TMZ, and was released a few hours later. The retired UFC star reportedly made a court appearance Monday, per MMAFighting.com.
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A charge of public drunkenness in Georgia is a misdemeanor. Individuals who are convicted can face a year in jail, a fine of up to $1,000 or both.
Specifics of the incident are not yet known, but TMZ Sports published body camera footage that picked up after Poirier outside of a gate at the airport. It’s not clear what happened before the footage started, but at one point, Poirier threatened to fight the officer.
Eventually, more officers showed up and Poirier was arrested.
Earlier in the day Sunday, Poirier reposted an image of a picture of himself with his kids on Instagram. The post was originally put up by Poirier’s wife, and served as a “Happy Father’s Day” post.Advertisement
On Monday, Poirier posted a brief message on Instagram, which read: “Love you all. I’m working on myself.” He followed it up Tuesday with a statement acknowledging that he needs help:
“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. 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 considered one of the greatest lightweights in mixed martial arts history. He put together a 30-10 record in 41 professional fights — with one no contest — over his legendary career. He holds a number of accomplishments with UFC, where he was the interim UFC lightweight champion, won 10 Fight of the Night awards and ranks third in knockout victories.
Poirier hasn’t fought since 2025, when he had a retirement bout against Max Holloway. Poirier lost that fight by unanimous decision and retired following the match.
