Dustin Poirier's never returning to featherweight

Dustin Poirier is no longer killing himself in order to please the scales.

After an extended UFC run at featherweight, Poirier tired of the excruciating weight cuts, and decided a move back up to lightweight would be the best decision of his career.

"There's no comparison," Poirier told FOX Sports' Damon Martin. "I'm still eating good, my body's recovering because of that. I'm having fun throughout camp. I don't feel like I'm too depleted or strained. Previously, if I was this close to a fight I'd be hurting already cutting weight. I feel great.

"I'm more athletic at this weight and this is much closer to my actual weight. My body is just performing very well. I should have been here, this is the optimal weight class for my body to perform at its max. My power, my speed, everything feels better."

Through sheer talent, Poirier overcame the brutal weight cuts to become a contender at 145 pounds. It wasn't until a lopsided loss to current interim featherweight champion Conor McGregor that Poirier decided a change was necessary.

Since rejoining the lightweight ranks, Poirier is 2-0 with a pair of first-round stoppages over Carlos Diego Ferreira and Yancy Medeiros.

"I'm never going to go down to 145 again," Poirier said. "I don't see myself ever going up to 170. I should be able to maintain fighting at 155 for the rest of my career. This is the weight I'm going to be at permanently. This is the division I'm going to win the belt at."