Colby Covington divides UFC fans with Dustin Poirier post hours after his arrest
Colby Covington has once again caused an uproar online for his controversial message to Dustin Poirier following his arrest.
In a shocking report on Monday, it was revealed that former UFC lightweight and fan-favourite fighter Poirier had been arrested on Sunday for alleged public drunkenness in Georgia.
The 37-year-old was arrested and released on bail, according to Clayton County court records.
Poirier retired from MMA last July following a 32-fight career in the UFC that saw him win the interim lightweight belt before losing to then-undisputed champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
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Since the news many fans have taken to social media to express their well wishes for Poirier, who is widely regarded as a UFC legend.
But, as expected, when fellow retired fighter Covington saw the news, his message wasn't quite as kind.
"Nothing says role model and family man like being arrested for public intoxication at 37 years old at 6:38 pm… on Father’s Day," Covington wrote on X.
"Hit me up when you get out the clink @dustinPoirier and I’ll send some RAB Zero to the father of the year."
Covington later reposted the same message in a video while sarcastically raising a glass to Poirier.
Some fans appreciated the sarcastic message, sharing the post with their own digs at the former UFC lightweight, while others claimed that Covington had taken things too far on this occasion.
Meanwhile others called the 38-year-old's message hypocritical after he was arrested for driving under the influence, as he blew three times over the legal limit, and evading police when he was 19 college in Iowa.
And Covington wasn't the only former fighter to comment on Poirier's arrest, as former welterweight Ben Askren also took to social media that appears to show jokingly wrestling with a fan.
Askren wrote: "He was having a good time at the airport. Wrestled some of my friends."
Dustin Poirier releases seven-word statement after public drunkenness arrest
Following the news, Poirier has understandably remained relatively quiet and is yet to fully address the situation and what caused his arrest.
However, shortly after his arrest was confirmed, the former fighter took to social media to share a brief message to his fans.
"Love you all," Poirier wrote on his Instagram story. "I'm working on myself."
The news comes after he admitted to Joe Rogan that he was struggling to come to terms with his retirement back in March.
“Retiring is scary,” Poirier said on the Joe Rogan Experience.
"Days are long. I have a lot of time. I don’t have to get ready for a fight. … I wouldn’t say depressed, but I got into a kind of funk like, ‘What the hell am I going to do with my life?’
"Every day I would wake up for the past 20 years [and think] ‘How can I be a better fighter? What’s new in fitness? How can I push myself? I want to be the champion.’ And then, boom, you lay the gloves down and you wake up and you’re a f*****g civilian.
"Like, it feels crazy. It’s like I’m re-learning who I am. I don’t know who I am without fighting. … Fighting was a cloud in my mind that never went away for 20 years. Now I wake up and it’s gone. What do I do? I’m still trying to find out.”
Topics: UFC, Dustin Poirier, Colby Covington, MMA
Ben McCrum