Drew Dober feels for what Dustin Poirier is going through.
This past Sunday, Poirier was removed from a flight in Atlanta and arrested for public drunkenness. On Tuesday, video of the incident surfaced, showing a seemingly intoxicated Poirier acting erratically, even attempting to fight the responding police officer after the officer recognized him.
The incident is a low point for Poirier, who, a few days before the incident, gave an interview about his struggles adapting to life since his retirement, and shortly after the video surfaced, Poirier addressed the incident, saying he needs help and is doing “everything I can to get my mind right.”
And Dober understands Poirier’s struggles.
“Some of us need to fight,” Dober said in a video posted to his social media. “My thoughts go out to Dustin Poirier … But this is why I fear retirement, because some of us have found martial arts, found fighting, and constantly compete because we need it. We need it internally to make ourselves a better person. With our goals of just being better individuals, better family men, just better for others. We need fighting to keep ourselves straight.
”This is why I fear my retirement as well. I share that mentality as well with Dustin, and the fact that 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. And when you’re constantly pursuing a goal, working toward something great, when it’s all gone and that boredom kicks in, it’s hard to keep your head on straight, and it’s hard to act like you have been.”
Dober is a few months older than Poirier and began his professional MMA career around the same time, but Dober is still actively competing, last fighting in March when he knocked out Michael Johnson. However, Dober had surgery in May to repair a few hernias, leaving him out of action for the time being. And even that, Dober says, has been detrimental for him.
“Since my surgery — and I’ve had six weeks off — I, personally, have been dealing with something similar,” Dober revealed. “Been a little bit more intoxicated than I typically am and just making bad decisions. This is just the aspect that fighters carry. What makes us great fighters causes damage to us when we retire. And we see with Conor McGregor and Mike Tyson and all those great fighters, 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.
“My thoughts go out to Dustin Poirier, and any other fight that finds themself in this position of boredom and not finding something to work toward. I hope that when it’s all over for me, I have you guys and these videos and social media and broadcasting to keep my head on straight, so I can keep on improving.”
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Story time: I used to know an Olympic gymnast, and talking to her made me realize how difficult athlete retirement can be. She’d spent her entire life, since she was four, focused on one thing, and when it came time to leave, it wasn’t because she wanted to; it was because the game had left her. And that f***ed her up, and it took her a long time to come to terms with the new stage of life. And that’s not even taking into consideration that the people who gravitate to fighting are often damaged. That’s a dangerous mix.
I feel for Dustin Poirier, and I hope he gets to a better place.
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