Jon Jones reacts to Dustin Poirier using racist slur in airport arrest, talks potential MMA return
UFC great Jon Jones has weighed in on Dustin Poirier's usage of a racial slur during his arrest at a Georgia airport.
Jon Jones has addressed Dustin Poirier's airport arrest and his use of a racial slur during the incident. The pejorative Poirier verbalized is known to be a racist term against people of African descent.
"Bones," who's considered to be one of the most prominent African-American athletes in the United States of America and beyond, suggested that he wasn't offended by Poirier using the racist profanity.
Dustin Poirier airport arrest -- UFC veteran joins Jon Jones and other notable MMA personalities who've had run-ins with the law
Per ESPN, Dustin Poirier was arrested on charges of public drunkenness in the U.S. state of Georgia this past Sunday, June 21, 2026. The incident was first reported by TMZ, subsequently highlighting additional details about the former interim UFC lightweight champion's arrest.
According to Fox 5 Atlanta, Poirier was reportedly removed from an airplane by Delta Airlines staff at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia. The removal was chalked up to Poirier allegedly being intoxicated.
The 37-year-old was subsequently accused of being combative toward the airport personnel and police officers as well. One policeman, who consistently attempted to calm Poirier down, particularly found himself almost getting into a fistfight with the retired MMA athlete.
As seen in the police officer's bodycam footage, Poirier labeled a couple of airport staff members, including female employees as a "bunch of h*es." He challenged the officer to a fight and used the n-word, a racist term, while speaking to the policeman.
Upon seemingly noticing that the officer recognized that he's an experienced professional fighter and was calling for backup, Poirier stated, "Yeah. Tell him, come on. 'Cause it's gonna be bad. It's gonna be bad, my n**ga."
The officer retreated while he appeared to de-escalate the situation, but Poirier kept daring him to fight. However, another police officer soon arrived at the scene. Poirier seemed to cooperate with them, and he was arrested without a physical altercation.
Well, Poirier thereby joined former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Jon Jones -- as well as other notable MMA personalities such as Jorge Masvidal, BJ Penn, and others -- in the list of well-known fighters who've had highly-publicized run-ins with the law.
Watch bodycam footage from the Dustin Poirier arrest and his statements against the police officer below (*comments at the 1:10-minute mark of the video):
Jon Jones's gaffe in reaction to Dustin Poirier's airport arrest; "Bones" touches upon potential MMA comeback
Dustin Poirier was arrested on Father's Day, last Sunday, and was held at the Clayton County Jail. He made a court appearance the following day at the Clayton County Court and was released on bail.
In case Poirier's ongoing legal issue leads to his getting convicted by a Georgia court, he could face a $1,000 fine and/or up to a year in prison. He's up against a misdemeanor charge of public drunkenness/public intoxication.
Poirier addressed the incident on social media and implied that he needs "help" -- drawing light to how his father was hurt by alcoholism and how he himself is struggling with a similar issue.
Earlier this year, Poirier spoke to UFC color commentator and podcast mogul Joe Rogan on the JRE (Joe Rogan Experience) podcast, and signaled that he was struggling with the free time he has as a retired fighter. He'd noted that fighting kept him goal-oriented and busy, as well as out of trouble.
Well, the consensus is that Poirier's post-arrest social media statements look to be in the same vein.
One of the biggest talking points to emerge from the incident was Poirier's apparently combative acts toward the police personnel and the female airport staff members, as well as his use of the racist slur.
Fellow retired MMA star Jon Jones took to X and seemed to lend his support to Poirier. He, however, made a gaffe of misspelling Dustin Poirier as Justin Poirier. He wrote:
"Wanted to write and tell my n**ga Justin Poirier to keep your head up, life happens. This too shall pass. Just keep yourself busy my man, it helps."
Several fight fans soon highlighted the irony in Jones's post, as Poirier has fought Justin Gaethje twice in MMA fights under the UFC banner, going one apiece in their series. Jones defended himself by noting that the error in his X post was probably due to tiredness, since he'd been traveling to Moscow:
"Dustin, Justin, been traveling all day. Y'all get the point. Been a long day, almost to Moscow."
Furthermore, when asked whether his respect for Poirier somehow increased after the arrest, Jones clarified that it wasn't the case but he respects "The Diamond" for being honest about his mental state.
Jones drew parallels between MMA athletes and military personnel, pointing out that professionals from both fields struggle to adjust to mundane civilian life after retirement. He underlined that he'd communicated with military personnel to understand how to transition into retirement smoothly.
Speaking of retirement, one X user asked Jones whether he, akin to the returning Conor McGregor, could make his comeback to MMA competition inside the octagon. Jones, who announced last year that he's back in the UFC's drug testing pool, stated that one should "never say never."
Moreover, the 38-year-old explained that he's served as the primary training partner for freestyle wrestling Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson, who's preparing for his UFC debut against Elisha Ellison at UFC 329 on July 11.
Jones made an allusion to the stem cell treatment he's undergone and opined that he's still moving well.
Never say never, right now we are finishing up Gableās training camp. Heās looking extraordinary. Iāve been his main training partner, and Iām moving like I never left. š¤·š¾ stem cells must be working. https://t.co/jZReRFKUP2
ā Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) June 26, 2026
Check out the screenshots of some of Jon Jones's X posts regarding the recent happenings related to Dustin Poirier below:
