Dustin Poirier returned to the lightweight division for the first time on Saturday since 2010 and scored an impressive first round victory against Diego Ferreira in the opening bout of the UFC Fight Night 63 main card.
Poirier scored his eighth career win by TKO/KO as he finished Ferreira in under four minutes and he is now 9-1 in lightweight competition.
His previous eleven fights in the UFC came in the featherweight division and Poirier admitted in the post fight press conference how making 145 pounds was tough for him.
“It was tough. I would have to start at least two months out and everything had to be weighed out and ate at a certain time,” Poirier said. “If I ate a couple of almonds that I was not suppose to, I would be heavier the next day. I was as low as I could get my body to at 145. It was tough. It made fight week not enjoyable. I had a blast this week. I was comfortable and it was a lot less stress.”
“To tell you the truth, my whole fight camps were more about what could I do to burn some extra calories after this workout or before this workout. It was more about the weight cut then the fight. This camp was all about the fight and focusing on my performance. Weight was not an issue and 155 is closer to my natural weight. My body just wanted to grow and I was holding it back for years. I feel good.”
As a featherweight, he was the current number six contender in that division and now he will have to work his way up the 155 pound division rankings. He wants to be a top ten lightweight by the end of the year and UFC matchmaker Joe Silva told him after the fight that he has a spot for him on the June 6 UFC Fight Night 68 card in New Orleans.
“I really have not been thinking about opponents, but it’s wide open. My plan is to crack the top ten this year so any matchup they want,” Poirier stated. “After the fight, Joe Silva told me he has a spot for me on June 6 in New Orleans and I am Louisiana. We can not go there without me being on the card. Whoever wants it then, they can get it. Whoever.”