Dustin Poirier wants to crack to top 10 at lightweight by end of the year

Following a strong run at featherweight, Dustin Poirier returned to the lightweight division for his last fight and made an immediate impact in the division.

Poirier needed less than a round to dispatch of Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Carlos Diego Ferreira while looking as strong and versatile as he's looked since joining the UFC roster. While Poirier was knocking on the door of a potential title shot at featherweight as recently as last year, the 26-year-old fighter never felt like himself while competing at 145 pounds.

What you witnessed in his last fight against Ferreira was the real Poirier because he wasn't draining his body dry to cut down to featherweight and instead felt healthy, fed and happy.

"I felt great. I felt like myself," Poirier told FOX Sports. "That's what I feel like when I'm in the gym and when I'm training. That's how I want to feel when I fight. Before, I'd feel great when I'm in the gym and I got to the fight and I was still drained a little bit."

Following his win over Ferreira in April, Poirier was already clamoring for a chance to crack the top 15 in the lightweight division, but then he got an offer he just couldn't refuse.

See Poirier is a native of Lafayette, Louisiana and fighting at home on the upcoming card in New Orleans was like a dream come true.

"As soon as Joe Silva walked into the cage after my last fight, he told me he was saving me a spot in New Orleans if I wanted it, I was excited. I kind of had a feeling going into that fight that if everything went smooth and I came out injury free that I would be fighting in New Orleans," Poirier said.

"That's exciting to have the crowd on my side and having my friends and family from Louisiana there with me. It's been a while since I've fought in Louisiana so I'm glad to be back. This is my home."

Fighting close to home is something nearly every UFC competitor dreams about, but often times the reality isn't nearly as fun as the fantasy.

Numerous times over the course of history, fighters have admitted once the experience is over, fighting in their hometown or home country even can serve as a distraction or amp up the pressure because friends and family are sitting 25 feet away from the Octagon, and they want to see a win.

While that sentiment is commonplace amongst many fighters, don't count Poirier among them. He relishes the chance to fight at home and believes the New Orleans crowd will only add energy to his performance.

"I'm the opposite of those guys who felt pressure fighting at home," Poirier said. "I'm excited to be here. There's a lot of good energy here, a lot of people coming to see me fight who haven't seen me fight in a long time. I'm just using it all as fuel."

As much as Poirier is genuinely excited about fighting in Louisiana this Saturday night against Yancy Medeiros, the result is still what matters most.  Poirier wants to put on show and give the New Orleans crowd what they paid to see, but he's not losing sight of long-term goals just because he's thrilled to soak in this moment.

Poirier came to the lightweight division to be a contender and he knows beating Medeiros in the same fashion he took out Ferreira is a great start to 2015.

"I worked my way up into the top 10 in featherweight and I didn't plan on coming to lightweight and taking favorable fights," Poirier said. "I wanted to come in this weight class and crack the top 10 by the end of this year.

"From 1 to 20 the lightweight division is crazy.  That's what excites me about this division. It's all different matchups and people I want to fight and fights the fans want to see. I'm pumped to be in this division."