Khabib Nurmagomedov is not ready to retire from the cage just yet - but admits he won't follow Daniel Cormier and fight in his 40s.
The UFC lightweight champion defends his belt for the second time next weekend when he takes on Dustin Poirier in Abu Dhabi.
It will be the 30-year-old's first fight since he submitted Conor McGregor last October.
And Nurmagomedov acknowledges he is heading towards the end of his career, and won't fight on for another decade like training partner and former heavyweight world champion Cormier.
When asked when he plans to hang up his gloves, he said: "Not yet, but I'm not a young fighter.
"I've already been champion for years [and] I’ve already defended my title, this is my second defence.
"Of course I don’t have a lot of fights ahead, because I don’t want to fight when I’m 40 years old. This isn’t my plan.
"Before I make a decision, I have to talk with my father, I have to talk with coach Javier (Mendez), all my brothers, (management team) Dominance MMA and all the people around me.
"I can’t make this decision alone; but right now I'm focused on competition, because I have too much fire inside me."
Nurmagomedov and Poirier have both pinpointed Tony Ferguson as the fighter they want to face should they win in the desert.
Ferguson has won 12 fights in succession and has seen a clash with Nurmagomedov fall through on four separate occasions.
And the champion said: "Only Tony Ferguson. I think he deserves it. Who else is there? Nobody. Only Tony Ferguson, or nothing."
