Dober opens up on his own struggles as Poirier arrest sparks retirement fears

Drew Dober has used Dustin Poirier’s highly publicised arrest to voice his own fears about life after fighting, revealing that even a short spell on the sidelines has already taken a personal toll.

Poirier was removed from a flight in Atlanta last Sunday and arrested for public drunkenness. Video of the incident, which emerged on Tuesday, showed a seemingly intoxicated Poirier acting erratically and attempting to confront the police officer who responded — and recognised him. Days before the arrest, Poirier had given an interview about his difficulties adjusting to retirement, and after the footage surfaced he publicly acknowledged he needs help and is doing “everything I can to get my mind right.”

Dober, who is a few months older than Poirier and turned professional around the same time, is still an active competitor. He knocked out Michael Johnson in March before undergoing hernia surgery in May, leaving him temporarily out of action. That brief absence, he says, has already had consequences.

“Since my surgery — and I’ve had six weeks off — I, personally, have been dealing with something similar,” Dober revealed in a video posted to social media. “Been a little bit more intoxicated than I typically am and just making bad decisions.”

Dober framed the issue as something inherent to the fighter’s mindset — one that sustains careers but becomes dangerous once competition is removed.

“Some of us need to fight,” he said. “Fighting has kept me out of making bad decisions, and being a better father, being a better husband, being a better son, being a better family man. When we don’t have fighting, and we have so much free time, I think boredom is one of the most dangerous attributes for a man.”

He drew a direct parallel between Poirier’s situation and the well-documented post-career struggles of fighters such as Conor McGregor and Mike Tyson.

“The mentality that brought us to the pinnacle and the highest point of this career will be the aspect that damages us when we retire, and it’s all over,” Dober said. “My thoughts go out to Dustin Poirier, and any other fighter that finds themselves in this position of boredom and not finding something to work toward.”

Dober did not give a timeline for his return from surgery.