The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

Podbit · The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

UFC Legend Dustin Poirier: I Lost My Mind. I’ll Never Let It Happen Again.

Explore episode Jul 6, 2026
Society & Culture
The Good Fight Foundation: From Clearing a House to Changing Lives

UFC Legend Dustin Poirier: I Lost My Mind. I’ll Never Let I… · Jul 6, 2026 Society & Culture

Poirier and Jolie were packing up their South Florida home when they saw a news story about a police officer killed near where they went to school, leaving behind a family. They auctioned his fight gear to help the family, then kept going. What started as eBay listings became a formal nonprofit with an annual back-to-school drive, international water well projects in Uganda, and a mission to maximise every donated dollar.

Where this was said

Brain Trauma, CTE, and the Neurologist's Findings

At 1:21:10 · chapter starts 1:11:20

Bartlett pivots to the physical cost of fighting, sharing data he gathered from interviewing what he describes as a leading CTE researcher. The numbers are stark: older adults with head trauma history face a 230% greater Alzheimer's risk; 61% of UFC fighters worry about long-term brain damage; and a 2023 study found over 40% of contact sport athletes who died before 30 had CTE. Poirier then reveals that his wife's concern about behavioural changes prompted a neurological scan with contrast dye, which showed thinning in the back of his brain and a separated septum pellucidum — a structure whose splitting the neurologist believes is reducing communication between brain hemispheres. He can't be diagnosed with CTE while alive, but the physical evidence is there. He notes that spontaneous decision-making — betting $5,000 impulsively, getting drunk in the airport — might link to brain changes, though he's careful not to use it as an excuse.

Health & Fitness
Brain Damage, CTE, and the Neurologist's Warning

UFC Legend Dustin Poirier: I Lost My Mind. I’ll Never Let I… · Jul 6, 2026 Health & Fitness

A neurological scan of Poirier's brain revealed thinning and a separated brain septum, with his neurologist concerned that the left and right hemispheres may not be communicating normally. CTE can only be definitively diagnosed posthumously, but the physical changes and his wife's reports of behavioral shifts are concerning. A 2023 study found over 40% of contact sport athletes who died before 30 already had CTE.

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