Sean Strickland supports Dustin Poirier amid arrest fallout

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NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - MAY 07: Sean Strickland is seen on stage during the UFC 328 press conference at Prudential Center on May 07, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC) Sean Strickland has quickly gone from one of Dustin Poirier’s biggest critics to his most adamant supporter as the former interim lightweight champion continues to deal with the fallout from his arrest on a public drunkenness charge following an ugly incident at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport. After already issuing an apology to Poirier following a conversation they had about his arrest, Strickland explained why he was initially so angry at the retired fighter without knowing the full context to his story. In the past, Strickland has spoken about growing up in abusive household and that largely centered a tumultuous relationship with his father. “I’ve been thinking about this bottle [of Bud Light] and I’ve been thinking about Dustin a lot,” Strickland said on Instagram. “I reached out to him and he put some things into perspective to me. Because my initial thought was kind of angry, condescending, and I really had to work through that. Why did it make me angry? Let me tell you why: Bud Light has spent $6 billion dollars [in advertising], the pool party, the hot girls, the guy on the horse with the flag — I never got that version of that. “This bottle to me represents hell. The version I got was my dad getting home at 4 o’clock, grabbing a cold beer and becoming a f*cking monster. Potentially ruined my life. Ruined his life. Ruined his dad’s life and his dad’s life before him. This bottle to me represents a lot of misery. So whenever I see people use it, especially in that manner, it makes me angry. That’s my own flaw as a man. I’ve got to work past that.” Strickland admitted his own personal experience with alcohol, especially after growing up with his father, completely colored his initial reaction to Poirier’s arrest and then hearing the veteran lightweight talk about the struggles he’s faced since retiring from competition. But after sitting down and talking to Poirier about the whole ordeal, Strickland found a new perspective and realized why he lashed out so harshly at the time. “There’s so many Americans that drink this and they love life,” Strickland said. “They go play catch with their son and I love that. But sadly that’s not the case [for a lot of people]. “A lot of Americans are f*cked up. They don’t have to go to the dealer on the corner. They can just walk into the supermarket and buy as many of these they want. For the Americans that don’t abuse it, and they are just living life, I wish you the best.” View this post on Instagram With that said, Strickland sent a personal message to Bud Light as a company after he claims he heard rumors that the beer brand was considering cutting ties with Poirier following his arrest. Poirier previously revealed that a major sponsor dropped him after his arrest and he expected more might do the same in the future. Bud Light has not addressed Poirier’s arrest, although it’s well known that the retired UFC fighter appeared in numerous ads and commercials for the company in recent years. It’s unclear at this time if Bud Light actually plans to cut ties with Poirier but Strickland implored the company not to make that mistake if that’s what’s eventually going to happen. “What made me so mad talking to Dustin and hearing things through the grapevine, I heard that Bud Light might let Dustin go,” Strickland said. “Let me tell you, that is the most un-American f*cking thing you can do. You spent $6 billion creating an addict. Creating someone that wants to grab this every time he’s having a bad day and bring out the worst in him. And at his lowest time, contemplating letting him go. “That is the most un-American thing you could do. Bud Light, if you want to represent America, you stand by him and you help him. That’s f*cking American.”