Jon Jones backs Dustin Poirier after airport arrest: 'We've all been drunk'

Jon Jones offered unequivocal support to Dustin Poirier this week after the recently retired UFC lightweight was arrested at an Atlanta airport on Father’s Day weekend, following an altercation with a police officer after being removed from a flight.

Poirier, 37, was taken in for public drunkenness after initially becoming aggressive with the officer, who managed to de-escalate the situation. In the aftermath, Poirier released a public statement acknowledging he needs help.

Speaking to Red Corner MMA, Jones — himself no stranger to off-the-octagon controversy — was direct in his defence of Poirier. “I hope that Dustin keeps his head high, gets back on his horse, and realizes that at the end of the day, news is news,” Jones said. “He didn’t hurt anybody. He was drunk, we’ve all been drunk. Alcohol makes you do silly things.”

Jones also took to social media to praise Poirier for “being honest about his mental state”, drawing a comparison between the difficulties of post-fighting life and leaving the military. Poirier retired from competition after a loss to Max Holloway at UFC 318 in July 2025 and has since spoken openly in multiple interviews about struggling to adjust to life outside the sport.

The support carries weight given Jones’s own history. He was arrested for a DWI in 2020 and on a domestic violence charge in 2021, attributing both incidents to substance abuse. Jones has since said he has given up alcohol entirely. “I have way too much trauma to consume alcohol,” he wrote. “My brain simply can’t handle it anymore. I will leave alcohol in my past forever.”

Despite a turbulent personal life, Jones’s in-cage record remains largely intact at 28-1 with one no-contest. He most recently defeated Stipe Miocic to retain the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 309 in November 2024, though his legacy continues to be complicated by two failed tests for performance-enhancing substances.

On Poirier’s path forward, Jones was measured but optimistic. “It’s important for him to forgive himself and just keep moving forward,” he told Red Corner MMA. “At the end of the day, no one really cares.”