During a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, former UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier opened up about his post-retirement approach to recovery and performance. He revealed that he has been using peptides, while deliberately steering clear of testosterone replacement therapy.
The topic came up as Poirier explained why he chose not to go down the testosterone route after stepping away from competition.
“I got hooked up with Brigham and Ways to Well. They did all my blood when I retired,” Poirier said. “I turned down, no testosterone for me. I’m not on any testosterone. I just don’t want to mess up my natural production because mine wasn’t high, but it wasn’t low. I’m just scared to mess with it.”
Host Joe Rogan agreed with the decision, suggesting that alternatives like peptides can offer meaningful benefits without interfering with natural hormone levels.
“Yeah, you don’t need it. Peptides can do a lot for you,” Rogan said.
Poirier then confirmed he’s already embraced that route. “Yeah, I’m on a bunch of peptides.”
“Yeah, peptides are the way to go,” Rogan responded.
According to Poirier, the impact has been noticeable. “And I feel great. Honestly, I wish I could have been on this stuff when I was competing, man.”
Poirier went on to mention specific stuff, including growth hormone-releasing peptides like tessamorelin, which are often associated with improved recovery.
“Especially like the growth hormone releasing stuff, like tessamorelin,” Poirier said. “I could have pushed hard every day, man. As I got older, it got harder.”
The conversation then shifted toward how these affect training rather than outright performance enhancement.
“And all it does is help your body recover,” Rogan explained. “It’s not like it gives you some sort of a performance-enhancing boost.”
Poirier agreed, noting that while there may be some benefits like fat mobilization, the real advantage lies in consistency.
“I know it definitely helps with fat mobilization and stuff like that, but just being able to push hard every day is huge in competing, man.”
Rogan expanded on this idea by pointing to stuff like BPC-157, often discussed for their potential to aid soft tissue recovery, something athletes constantly deal with.
“Well, just BPC-157, which offers no performance-enhancing benefit, but would help you heal soft tissue injuries. You’re getting small injuries every day in training. Every time you get leg kicked, every time you get punched in the stomach.”
“Arm bars, shoulder, your joints are always messed up” Poirier added.
“Everything, always,” Rogan continued.
From Rogan’s perspective, stuff that improve recovery could theoretically enhance overall performance without crossing into traditional performance-enhancing territory.
“If you wanted athletes to perform better, something that would allow them to heal better is only good. It’s not going to make you run faster. It’s not going to make you jump higher. We’re not talking about that.”
However, the discussion also touched on the regulatory gray area surrounding such peptides.
“I’m not even sure if that’s banned. I haven’t checked,” Poirier admitted.
“BPC-157 is banned. Yeah, it’s unfortunate,” Rogan replied.
The two then compared peptides to more widely accepted supplements like creatine, which has undergone its own shift in public perception over time.
“Yeah, creatine, protein powders. That’s the same stuff. You just recover better,” Poirier said.
“Creatine’s not banned, thank god,” Rogan noted. “But creatine in the 1990s was thought of the same way as st**oids. People thought creatine was cheating. They literally put it in the same category. Then they realized it’s actually a part of food.”
“Great for your brain. Great for everything,” Poirier added.
