Poirier Receives Hero’s Welcome at Lafayette Airport

Dustin Poirier is back home after beating Conor McGregor by technical at Saturday Night’s U-F-C 264.

On Sunday, Poirier received a hero’s welcome at Lafayette Regional Airport.

"Thank you, everybody for coming out! I appreciate the support!" Poirier told the nearly 200 people who gathered to welcome him home.

For fans like Amy LeBlanc, it's an experience she wouldn't have missed.

"To see him in person, to welcome him back to Lafayette, thank him for representing us so well all around the world, and to congratulate him, too!" Leblanc said. "And also, it was an experience for me that I wanted my little boy to see so that he could have the memory of welcoming Dustin Poirier back home to Lafayette."

LeBlanc says she wasn't a fan of mixed martial arts until she watched Poirier's second fight against Conor McGregor. She says Poirier's knockout win in that fight hooked her on the sport and made her a fan of Poirier.

"Just the fact that he's local, he's from Lafayette, recognized as one of the best--if not the best--in the world."

Youngsville businessman Craig Spadoni says Poirier's success brings good publicity to his hometown and to Acadiana.

"He is a Youngsville resident--same as I--and an Acadiana resident, so I'm here to see our hometown hero," Spadoni said. "It means everything. It puts us on the map internationally. People all over the world follow this. They'll Google "Youngsville, Louisiana," home of Dustin Poirier. It's awesome!"

Spadoni and LeBlanc agree that Poirier's success will lead to more good things happening not only for him, but also for his home region.

"I'm just really excited for him and what he's done," Spadoni said. "What he's done for our community, and what he's done for people with childhood cancer. He's just a real good guy, and I'm here to support him and his charitable organizations as well."

"When anybody local does well, it's good for everybody," LeBlanc said. "We want to see him succeed. We're happy for him. We're happy for his family. It's just an all-around good thing for the area."