After more than a week of silence following his arrest on Father’s Day at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Dustin Poirier finally addressed the incident a couple of days ago. During an appearance on The Diary of a CEO podcast, the former UFC interim lightweight champion revealed that years of battle with alcohol, unresolved issues with his father, and ‘depression’ culminated in the emotional breakdown and subsequent intoxication that preceded his now-viral confrontation with airport staff and police. The Louisiana native also confessed that he is currently undergoing therapy in an effort to work through those struggles. However, the confession from the MMA veteran was met with ridicule from UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland, who, in a rant on social media, suggested that male depression wasn’t a thing and asked Poirier to “shut the f–k up” since he was “rich” and “successful.”

But it seems, after a private conversation with Dustin Poirier, Strickland has dramatically altered his stance. In a new post on X, the UFC champion has now apologized to Poirier for mocking him earlier.

“I spoke to Dustin, and he is legitimately messed up by his actions,” Strickland wrote. “I thought he was just doing PR clean up tbh.. I guess not everyone is a POS like me lol. So yeah, I repent, and I am sorry, Dustin. Hope Bud Light does the right thing with this one. He deserves the help.”

Here, Strickland was referring to Dustin Poirier’s admission that his arrest had cost him financially and that he had lost several sponsorships in its aftermath. The 37-year-old had become the official Bud Light brand ambassador in March 2024 after his win over Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299. Since then, he has been regularly featured in promotional campaigns for Bud Light and the UFC.

Though neither Poirier nor Bud Light has officially confirmed their parting ways, it now appears that one of those “sponsors” who dropped him following the arrest was indeed Bud Light. And hence Strickland’s hope that the beer giant does the “right thing” and retains the former UFC interim champ.

However, this isn’t the first time Strickland has publicly walked back or altered his earlier stance.

The reigning middleweight champion previously had a heated rivalry with Khamzat Chimaev leading up to their UFC 328 fight. However, after winning the bout, he buried the hatchet with Chimaev almost immediately. He even apologized to the Chechen afterward for crossing the line with comments about his religion and homeland, leading many to believe that Strickland’s animosity toward Chimaev wasn’t entirely genuine.

He even admitted the same during his post-fight interview, where he clarified that he had manufactured the animosity to promote their title fight. With that history its understandable why Strickland would feel that Dustin Poirier, like himself, was doing “PR clean up” to help get some of the credibility back.

Now, although Sean Strickland initially suspected Dustin Poirier of faking his depression, the former 185 lbs champion had actually made a similar confession about his own mental health struggles just a few years ago.

Sean Strickland admitted he was ‘mentally unwell’ despite becoming a UFC star

Though Strickland has claimed that rich and successful men like Poirier couldn’t be “depressed” because they have everything anyone could ever ask for, the 35-year-old had actually made a similar admission about dealing with mental health issues himself despite being a UFC champion.

Two years ago, Strickland opened up about his personal struggles in an Instagram video, revealing that he was feeling “mentally” unwell despite becoming famous and wealthy.

“Man, all week I’ve been f— up, dude,” he said. “I’ve been on the Twitter saying crazy s–, just just f— spiraling. I woke up and I told my girl, I was like, ‘Babe, I feel like a danger to people. I don’t feel like I should be out in the world.’ And I think that, you know, I have everything — I’m rich, I’m famous. Like, I have everything I’ve ever f— wanted, and I still am mentally unwell.

“And I get in these like, mindsets, to where like, I want to burn everything down in the world. Like, I want to have nothing so I could just f— lose it and just take out everything on people. And I think that, like, you guys in a weird way are like my family.”

Strickland has long spoken about the trauma of his childhood and difficult family life, experiences that have shaped much of his public persona. Those experiences may also explain why, after speaking directly with Poirier, he ultimately found common ground with a fellow fighter who recently revealed that his father’s battle with alcoholism played a major role in his own struggles.

For now, Dustin Poirier says he is seeking professional help and continuing therapy. And after initially dismissing his explanation, even one of his harshest critics now hopes he receives the support needed to move forward.