Poirier and Buckley Explode Into Heated UFC Feud

Dustin Poirier and Joaquin Buckley have kicked off a nasty feud.

It started when Buckley called out Poirier over the racial slur Poirier used during his arrest at an Atlanta airport in June 2026.

Poirier was arrested for public intoxication after an altercation with police.

During the arrest, Poirier threatened an officer and used a racial slur.

Buckley did not hold back in his response.

He posted a video on his Instagram accusing Poirier of appropriating Black culture.

"Dustin Poirier don't f— with us," Buckley said in the video.

"Yeah, he'd like to be one of us."

Buckley accused Poirier of acting like he grew up around Black people.

"He likes it when he pulls up his little jeans and s— when he fights, he likes to scuff his little nose when he's doing s—," Buckley said.

"Wants to say, 'Yeah, I'm from Lafayette, I'm from Lafayette, I went to school with all the black folks.' Corny-a– m———–."

Buckley then issued a direct challenge.

"I'm going to tell you all right now, for real, it can be like that, any person that got a problem with what I'm saying, especially you Dustin Poirier, if you really want to roll up and do something about it, I promise you this: In your words, it's gonna be bad for you, my n—-," Buckley continued.

"Pull up and do something."

Poirier responded quickly.

"Tryna get some views? Shut up or kill me!" Poirier wrote.

Buckley then escalated the feud.

He took aim at Poirier's mental health struggles.

Poirier had publicly spoken earlier in 2026 about being depressed and struggling after retiring from the UFC.

Buckley referenced those revelations directly.

"Not that long ago that's what you wanted to do to yourself," Buckley wrote.

"Delete yourself."

He then challenged Poirier to a face-to-face meeting.

"When I see you, let's talk about it," Buckley said.

"You take the first swing."

Poirier has not responded to Buckley's latest comments.

The feud has its roots in an incident from June 2026.

Poirier was arrested at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

He was charged with public intoxication.

Video of the arrest went viral.

In the footage, Poirier can be seen challenging a police officer.

He also used a racial slur during the altercation.

Poirier later addressed the incident publicly.

He apologized for his behavior.

He thanked the officers involved for their handling of the situation.

Buckley questioned whether Poirier's explanation was genuine.

Poirier had said he was in a dark place after retiring and needed a distraction.

"All that crying you was doing in them interviews, talking about, 'Man, I just need a distraction,'" Buckley said in a video.

"If I don't have a good distraction, if I don't have something to focus on, I get into chaos."

"All that shit was bullsh*t. All of it was."

Buckley also took issue with Poirier's recent praise of heavyweight prospect Josh Hokit.

Poirier had called Hokit's promotional work a "crushing job" on the Deep Waters podcast.

Buckley used that endorsement as another reason to go after Poirier.

This feud comes at a notable time for both fighters.

Poirier retired from the UFC after UFC 318 in 2025.

He is a future Hall of Famer and former interim lightweight champion.

Buckley is still an active welterweight.

He recently lost to Mike Malott at UFC Edmonton.

After that loss, Buckley said he will fight one more time.

He promised his grandmother he would hang up the gloves after one final appearance in the Octagon.

Buckley has a long list of rivals in the UFC.

He is not known for backing down from confrontations.

He has also been involved in a heated exchange with Sean Strickland.

That confrontation has added another layer to the current situation.

Poirier still faces legal consequences from the airport incident.

He is scheduled to appear in court in the coming months.

If convicted, he faces up to a year in prison.

Buckley's comments about Poirier's mental health have drawn attention.

Poirier had been open about his struggles after retiring from fighting.