DUSTIN POIRIER

This isn't a Toughman competition; you don't just fight everybody because they want to fight.

People I grew up with, my family, work in the oil fields. Everyone works a labor job - construction, concrete. All we know is work. It's a physical culture.

If a champ has to take a long layoff then I think that's the only time interim titles should be introduced to the division.

Cutting to featherweight took months of intense weight cutting and training. Going to lightweight, I can fight more often.

I'm not fighting just to fight. I'm fighting to be the world champ.

You can't just be only going to the gym when you sign a fight contract or you'll just be the same fighter every time, just more experienced.

My dream is to be the best fighter at 155 pounds in the world.

I've put it all on the line every time, win, lose, or draw, and that's what I want to be left behind in my legacy.

I'm not a small guy.

It's not hard to look great against a guy who isn't moving a lot.

I never took the easy route.

I want to fight for the real belt, not the interim title.

I don't talk bad about people who I roll with.

I'm not a frontrunner. I'm a complete fighter.

Every fight, every camp I learn about myself and I get better. But every fight I get better.

This is a business. I'm a professional athlete. This isn't, 'poke somebody and start a street fight.'

I don't want to have an asterisk next to my accomplishments for the rest of my life. I don't want everybody to say, 'interim champ' every time someone says Dustin was the champion.

All weight cuts are hard.

I want to fight guys I'm excited to watch fight.

Of course every fighter, whether they admit it or not, they have aches and pains and they go into fights hurt.

When your body quits on you, it doesn't matter how mentally tough you are.

That grit of fighting is addictive, I'm scared of it. It's a very weird thing.

Destiny doesn't make mistakes.

I need to celebrate life because I'm in a good spot, I work hard, and I am happy with who I am and happy with what I do for a living, and sometimes I just focus and overwhelm myself so much with the fights and getting better, that I just need to slow it down and enjoy life and enjoy training.

Fighting comes down to who you are as a person. With B.J. Penn, he has no problems, not a hard upbringing and came up with money or whatever and he's just a fighter, he enjoys the fight and he refined his skills so I don't think it necessarily has to be a rough upbringing for guys to be great fighters.