Drew Dober sympathizes with Dustin Poirier retirement struggle

Drew Dober says he understands what Dustin Poirier is going through following the former lightweight contender's arrest for public intoxication in Atlanta earlier this week.

Poirier was removed from a flight Sunday and taken into custody after acting erratically, according to MMA Fighting. Video of the incident showed the recently retired fighter attempting to fight a responding officer who recognized him. Days before the arrest, Poirier had discussed his difficulty adjusting to life after competition, and he addressed the incident Tuesday, saying he needs help and is working to get his mind right.

Why Dober fears his own retirement

"Some of us need to fight," Dober said in a video posted to his social media, per MMA Fighting. "This is why I fear retirement, because some of us have found martial arts, found fighting, and constantly compete because we need it. We need it internally to make ourselves a better person."

Dober, who is a few months older than Poirier and started his professional career around the same time, is still actively competing. He stopped Michael Johnson in March but has been sidelined since May after surgery to repair hernias. Even that brief layoff, he revealed, has affected him negatively. "Since my surgery — and I've had six weeks off — I, personally, have been dealing with something similar," he said. "Been a little bit more intoxicated than I typically am and just making bad decisions."

The Denver-based lightweight pointed to other high-profile fighters who have struggled post-retirement, noting that the mentality required to reach the top of the sport can become destructive without competition as an outlet. "When we don't have fighting, and we have so much free time, I think boredom is one of the most dangerous attributes for a man," Dober explained. He said he hopes broadcasting and social media content creation will keep him on track when his own fighting career ends.

Dober is expected to return to action later this year once cleared from his hernia procedures.

Photo: TheDurandal42 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Original reporting:

• mmafighting.com — Morning Report | Drew Dober sympathizes with Dustin Poirier: ‘This is why I fear retirement’ | MMA Fighting