Jon Jones is as well known for his outside-of-the-octagon transgressions as his championship accomplishments and he has Dustin Poirier’s back following his fellow UFC star’s recent arrest.
Poirier, 37, was arrested at an airport in Atlanta on Father’s Day weekend after being removed from a flight and becoming aggressive with a police officer. The officer succeeded in deescalating the situation and Poirier eventually allowed himself to be taken in for public drunkenness. Afterwards, Poirier released a statement, writing, “I’m at the point where I need some help.“
While the reaction from the MMA community has been mixed, Jones offered unequivocal words of support in an interview with Red Corner MMA.
“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. “Some people say there’s no such thing as bad press. I disagree with that, but press is press. The whole world is talking about him right now.
“He didn’t hurt anybody. He was drunk, we’ve all been drunk. Alcohol makes you do silly things.”
Jones also expressed his support for Poirier in a recent series of tweets, writing that he respects Poirier for “being honest about his mental state” and comparing post-fighting life to leaving the military. Poirier retired from competition following a loss to Max Holloway at UFC 318 in July 2025 and while he’s given no indication he plans to make a comeback, he has said in multiple interviews that he has had difficult transitioning to a new lifestyle.
Jones has a laundry list of public controversies himself, including a 2020 DWI arrest and a 2021 domestic violence arrest in which he attributed issues with substance abuse for his actions.
“I have way too much trauma to consume alcohol,” Jones wrote. “My brain simply can’t handle it anymore. I will leave alcohol in my past forever.”
Through it all, Jones continued to find success in the cage (his career record remains almost unblemished at 28-1 with one no-contrest), most recently defeating Stipe Miocic in a heavyweight title fight at UFC 309 in November 2024. However, his legacy remains muddled due to his personal demons as well as a pair of failed drug tests for performance-enhancing substances.
Jones believes that, as cliché as it sounds, time will heal all wounds for Poirier.
“It’s important for him to forgive himself and just keep moving forward,” Jones told Red Corner MMA. “At the end of the day, no one really cares. No one really cares.”
Mailbag. Jed Meshew answers questions about Poirier’s arrest and the Year of the Unc.
PR. Alex Pereira was accused of snubbing fans at a seminar, but who is actually to blame?
Referee. Pereira also made headlines for his ongoing feud with “coward” Herb Dean.
Moneymaker. GiGi Canuto stole the show with a big win on TUF 34 and then “made it rain” in front of Dana White.
Critic. Rafael Fiziev isn’t a fan of the new Meta AI “elephant shit” rankings.
Payout. Salaries were made public for PFL San Diego, which was headlined by A.J. McKee picking up a big win.
UFC Baku post-fight show.
Mike Heck duels Ben “The Bane” Davis on Main Card Minute.
Highlights of the spectacular Boots Ennis vs. Xander Zayas scrap.
Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway.
I guess this is a thing now.
On to the Next One. Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee figure out what’s next for Rafael Fiziev, Shara Bullet, and more following an action-packed UFC Baku event.
SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE
Not even an exaggeration anymore.
Geoff Neal (16-8) vs. Chidi Njokuani (25-12, 1 NC); UFC 330, Aug. 15
Vicente Luque (24-12-1) vs. Tresean Gore (6-4); UFC 330, Aug. 15
Mansur Abdul-Malik (9-1-1) vs. Dustin Stoltzfus (16-8); UFC 330, Aug. 15
First of all, please please please please someone at the UFC fix this.
Secondly, no Morning Report tomorrow, but we will be back with your regularly scheduled programming Wednesday.
If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @AlexanderKLee of @JedKMeshew on Twitter and let us know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitch, and like us on Facebook.
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