Joaquin Buckley calls Dustin Poirier a racist over airport arrest; Poirier replies

Joaquin Buckley went after former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier in a social-media video on Tuesday, November 3, over Poirier's June arrest at Atlanta's airport. "Dude is a racist," Buckley said, according to SB Nation. Poirier answered on Wednesday with a comment on Buckley's post: "Tryna get some views? Shut up or kill me!"

What set Buckley off was Poirier praising Josh Hokit, the unbeaten heavyweight who meets champion Ciryl Gane in the UFC 334 main event on November 14 at Madison Square Garden. SB Nation describes Hokit as known for "provocative and offensive comments." Buckley also called out former American Top Team coach Din Thomas for backing Poirier, telling him "you're breaking my heart."

What Buckley said

In the Instagram video, which Sherdog embedded, Buckley said Poirier's anger "didn't have nothing to do with missing the flight," since he could have booked another. He claimed that when a second officer arrived, Poirier "sobered up real quick." His charge is that Poirier used a racial slur that day and that his apology interviews were fake. "All that crying you was doing in them interviews," Buckley said, according to SB Nation.

After Poirier's comment, Buckley posted a follow-up video, quoted by Sherdog. "It got your attention. It got views," he said. He repeated that he wants to settle it in person: "When I see you, let's have that conversation." Sherdog reports that the same video included a slur aimed at Poirier and told him to "remove yourself from the Earth."

The June arrest

Poirier was arrested on Sunday, June 21, at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Delta staff had refused to let him board, FOX 5 Atlanta reported, citing police and court records. He was charged with public intoxication and released on bond.

Police bodycam footage shows him swearing at Delta staff and telling the officer "I'll fight you right now," according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The officer stepped back and drew a Taser, and Poirier was arrested without further trouble. WSB-TV said Poirier "appears to use a racial slur" when referring to the officer.

Poirier later apologized to the desk agents and police on The Diary of a CEO podcast, POST Wrestling reported on July 6. POST, which said the footage shows racist language, noted that it wasn't raised in the interview. We found no report of a plea, trial or conviction, so it remains a charge. His one-line reply to Buckley didn't address the racism accusation.

Strickland hits back

When commenters asked Buckley why he was singling out Poirier, he posted a video of himself and a friend arguing with middleweight champion Sean Strickland, SB Nation reported. Its subject was a racial slur Strickland used in passing at a Brandrisk Promotions event, seen in a third-party video. According to SB Nation, Buckley and Strickland stayed mostly civil, while the friend called Strickland out. "I let him know I know what he doing," Buckley wrote in a caption.

On Wednesday, Strickland posted a reel on Instagram of himself dropping Buckley in sparring, captioned "Sit down Buckley." Sherdog describes the footage as old, and no source gives the date of the session. Strickland had criticized Poirier after the arrest, then publicly apologized to him in July, Agent MMA reported. His next title defence is reported, but not official, against Nassourdine Imavov, according to his CageOracle page.

Where they stand

Poirier, 37, retired after losing a decision to Max Holloway at UFC 318 on July 19, 2025, and finished 30-10 (CageOracle). Nobody is talking about a sanctioned fight: Poirier is retired, and Buckley never fought at lightweight. We found no UFC statement on the exchange.

Buckley is 21-9 and has lost three straight, two of them as the favourite. He closed at −204 against Kamaru Usman in June 2025 and −171 against Sean Brady at UFC 328 in May. Mike Malott then knocked him out in the second round at UFC Edmonton on October 17, with Buckley a +110 underdog, per his CageOracle page.

After the Malott loss, Buckley said his next fight will be his last. "I can't leave on a loss," he said, as reported by MMA Sucka. No opponent or date has been set.