​Conor McGregor understands all too well how quickly things can spiral when alcohol and other substances get out of control, and he wishes his former rival Dustin Poirier well as he tries to get back on track. The two have shared the UFC octagon three times in a rivalry that has fluctuated between fierce and relatively cordial. McGregor, who holds a 22-6 record with 10-4 in the UFC, is set to return at UFC 329 after suffering a broken leg in the deciding Poirier fight at UFC 264 in 2021. Poirier, meanwhile, fought six more times during McGregor’s hiatus and has since retired from competition.
All too often, athletes who retire from sport face rough patches adjusting to ordinary life. Poirier has admitted he’s struggled with life after fighting and was recently arrested for public intoxication at an airport. Video footage captured an altercation involving him, police, and airline staff, painting an ugly scene. Since then, Poirier has apologized and pledged to work on himself. McGregor hopes his old rival remains committed to improvement.
“Karma is a mirror,” McGregor told Smash Cast. “It’s not good. It’s not good to see. If I were to give him any advice, I’d say: take this with absolute seriousness. Do not engage with people. There are always people who say, ‘It was funny, I like him more.’ So you start laughing about it. ‘Ah, maybe it wasn’t so bad. Maybe I’ll keep going.’ Then the next one is worse, and you slip deeper and deeper. So I would say, take this with absolute seriousness.” He added, “Funny enough, I spoke with Megan Olivi; they asked me about Dustin—not about this incident, which hadn’t happened yet—and whether I’d want him to retire or to go on steroids for no reason. I found that stupid. Also, his body didn’t look any different, which set off alarm bells for me. Take it with absolute seriousness, because you don’t want to slip further.”
When Poirier reflects on the incident, he has discussed how much alcohol has affected his father and the impact it has had on his family. McGregor, who says he has recently turned over a new leaf after years of partying and after being found liable for sexual assault, would like to see Poirier take responsibility for his actions. “He has to take accountability,” McGregor said. “I saw something where he spoke about his father, and he blamed his father. You have to take accountability, my man. That’s it. I’m not going to go deeper. I don’t want to get into it. It’s not my business, you know, and for the sake of his family and his children, his new baby born, I hope he comes right.”
This report originally appeared at MMA Junkie and highlights McGregor’s call for Poirier to address his alcohol issues seriously for the sake of his future and his family.