Dustin Poirier’s arrest just got a whole lot weirder. New bodycam footage released months after the incident shows the former UFC star being restrained by officers at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where he was arrested on June 21 and booked for public drunkenness. But the extended footage reveals that the encounter became considerably more heated than the initial reports suggested.

In the body cam footage acquired by Mark Fighting, the 37-year-old can be seen wearing handcuffs as officers try to move him around, from the airport to the holding cells for processing, all the while the former interim UFC lightweight champion appears agitated, belligerent and even tries to pull away from their control. Things escalate further when he challenges the officers to a one-on-one fight.

“Listen, let’s rock one. Y’all free me, and we go one-on-one. Let’s go. Let’s go, one-on-one. Me and you,” Poirier tells the officers. “Let’s go one-on-one. Let’s see what happens.

“Unlock me. I will f— you up.”

The arresting officers, unsurprisingly, did not rush to take Poirier up on the offer. Soon after, the footage shows him being placed in a holding cell, where he continues his tirade.

“Arrest me! Bring me to the penitentiary because this is bullsh-t! Hoe-a– n—as,” Poirier declares. “Man, f–k y’all! Stop f–king around! Unlock this sh-t so I can f–k y’all up! Y’all f–king playing with me, man.

“I’m tired of this sh-t! I’m trying to f–king work with you guys! Bring me to my f–king sh-t, man! Y’all being a bunch of f–king hoes!”

Amid the chaos, another footage shows the interaction between processing officers talking among themselves about Dustin Poirier after his arrest. One of the processing officers recognizes the name of the man in handcuffs and reminds his colleague that they are dealing with a legitimate professional fighter.

“Motherf—– can fight, just saying, okay?” the officer tells his colleague behind the desk. “I mean, thank God he gave up.”

But his colleague didn’t appear particularly impressed by Dustin Poirier’s UFC credentials. Instead, he doubled down on his frustration and made a bizarre threat involving the former fighter’s cauliflower ear.

“He can be whatever UFC fighter he wanna be, he’s gonna be f–ked up today,” the officer at the desk responds. “I just let you know.

“I’m about to forewarn you. He already got one cauliflower ear, and I’m about to rip that b–ch off and put it in his f–king pocket.”

The new footage, released by Atlanta police, offers a much clearer look at what unfolded during the arrest. While Dustin Poirier remained restrained throughout the encounter, his behavior and the officers’ reactions show just how quickly the situation became tense.

The exchange also adds a bizarre new detail to an arrest that had already drawn attention because of Poirier’s behavior at the airport. And while the officers never took him up on his offer to fight, the desk officer’s comments about his cauliflower ear certainly took the confrontation in an unexpected direction.

For now, the 37-year-old, who retired from the UFC last year, hasn’t publicly addressed the newly released footage. His misdemeanor public intoxication case also remains pending in Clayton County, Georgia.

A conviction for misdemeanor public drunkenness can carry up to one year in jail and a fine, although first-time offenses can result in lighter penalties or probation. Poirier has not previously faced a public drunkenness charge, according to information available online. As such, he may be let off with a fine.

The incident was also one of several cases this summer involving UFC fighters finding themselves on the wrong side of the law. Anthony Smith and Diego Sanchez were arrested in separate cases in Gretna, Nebraska, and Socorro County, New Mexico, respectively.

But Poirier’s case is getting a fresh wave of attention for a rather unusual reason: it’s not every day a former UFC star challenges officers to a one-on-one while in handcuffs, only for one of them to respond with a threat involving his cauliflower ear.

While the bodycam footage shows Poirier behaving aggressively toward the officers, ‘The Diamond’ has since expressed regret over what led to his arrest.

Dustin Poirier wants to make amends for the behavior that led to his arrest

Poirier recently apologized to the airport desk agents involved in the initial altercation, acknowledging that police had to deal with him while he was intoxicated.

Dustin Poirier also revealed that he asked his lawyer to help him track down the contact details of the officer he threatened to fight and directed a racial slur at. But this time, he says, the goal isn’t to keep the beef going. ‘The Diamond’ wants to thank the officer for keeping his cool while the 37-year-old was intoxicated and the situation was getting out of hand.

Speaking on The Diary of a CEO podcast, Poirier also reflected on what may have kicked off the airport altercation.

“The desk agent might have seen I was intoxicated. It was like, ‘Nah, you can’t get on this plane.’ That might have been what started it,” he said. “But I do want to apologize to those desk agents, whoever they are. And the police, for having to put up with me.

“I actually asked a lawyer in Atlanta that I’ve been working with if he can please give me that officer’s information, his address. I want to write him a letter. His cell phone, if I can call him, just to tell him how great of a job he did dealing with a person in that condition, how professional he was. He’s incredible… it could have been so much worse.”

That acknowledgment adds a pretty important layer to the arrest. The bodycam footage shows Dustin Poirier being confrontational while intoxicated, but his comments suggest he now understands that the officers could have handled the situation very differently. And if they had, the whole thing could have ended with far more serious consequences.

For now, the legal side remains unresolved, and the former UFC star has not commented on the officer’s bizarre threat. Still, his apology surely suggests he’s trying to take responsibility for what happened rather than turn the arrest into another public back-and-forth.