Poirier Fires Back as Buckley’s Feud With Strickland Explodes

Dustin Poirier Fires Back As Joaquin Buckley’s Confrontation With Sean Strickland Escalates

A nasty feud has erupted between retired UFC legend Dustin Poirier and welterweight contender Joaquin Buckley, with Sean Strickland also dragged into the crossfire.

The war of words started when Buckley posted a video attacking Poirier over his use of a racial slur during a June 2026 arrest at Atlanta International Airport.

Buckley accused Poirier of appropriating Black culture while failing to stand by the community.

Poirier was arrested for public intoxication after an altercation at the airport, with footage showing him challenging an officer and using a racial slur.

He later apologized publicly and thanked the officers for their handling of the situation.

But Buckley seized on the incident to question Poirier’s character.

In his Instagram video, Buckley said: “Dustin Poirier don’t f— with us. Yeah, he’d like to be one of us. 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—. 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 also challenged Poirier directly: “Pull up and do something.”

Poirier responded in the comments with a succinct reply: “Tryna get some views? Shut up or kill me!”

Buckley then escalated the exchange by referencing Poirier’s past struggles with mental health.

He wrote: “Not that long ago that’s what you wanted to do to yourself. Delete yourself. When I see you, let’s talk about it. You take the first swing.”

This was a direct reference to Poirier’s earlier public admissions about struggling with depression after retiring from the UFC.

Poirier retired at UFC 318 in 2025 after a storied career that included winning the interim lightweight championship.

Since retiring, he has spoken openly about finding it difficult to adjust to life outside the Octagon.

In a June interview on the Deep Waters podcast, Poirier discussed needing a “distraction” to avoid falling into “chaos” and a “dark side.”

Buckley dismissed those comments as inauthentic.

“It all makes sense to me now,” Buckley said in his video.

“All that crying you was doing in them interviews, talking about, ‘Man, I just need a distraction. If I don’t have a good distraction, if I don’t have something to focus on, I get into chaos. I start to do sh*t, certain stuff, and I get this dark side.’ All that shit was bullsh*t. All of it was.”

Buckley also questioned Poirier’s explanation for his behavior at the airport, suggesting the former champion was not being genuine about what led to the incident.

The feud has drawn in Sean Strickland, who has also been involved in a separate confrontation with Buckley.

Strickland, a former UFC middleweight champion, has a history of outspoken comments and has clashed with multiple fighters in the past.

Buckley’s confrontation with Strickland adds another layer to an already volatile situation.

Buckley, 32, is a welterweight who has built a reputation for not backing down from verbal battles with other UFC fighters.

He has a long list of rivals and enemies in the promotion, some in his weight class and others who are not.

Recently, Buckley suffered a loss to Mike Malott at UFC Edmonton.

After that fight, Buckley announced he would fight one more time to fulfill a promise to his grandmother, then retire.

But before hanging up his gloves, Buckley seems intent on settling scores.

Poirier, meanwhile, has no fight scheduled and has been out of the spotlight since his arrest.

He faces a court appearance in the coming months and, if convicted of public intoxication, faces up to a year in prison.

Despite the legal situation, Poirier has not shied away from responding to Buckley’s provocations.

Heavyweight prospect Josh Hokit appears to be an unlikely link between the two fighters.

Poirier recently praised Hokit’s promotional work on the Deep Waters podcast, calling it a “crushing job.”

Buckley took issue with that endorsement and used it to revisit the airport incident.

The exchange has sparked debate among MMA fans about the boundaries of trash talk and personal attacks.

Some observers have criticized Buckley for bringing up Poirier’s mental health struggles, calling it a low blow.

Others have defended Buckley’s right to call out what he sees as hypocrisy.

Poirier has not responded publicly to Buckley’s latest comments about his mental health.

It remains unclear whether the two will ever meet face to face.