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LINCOLN, Neb. – James Krause is in the midst of the best winning streak of his UFC career. He’s not considering retirement just yet, but the topic is certainly lingering in the back of his mind.

Krause (25-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC), who will compete in his 37th pro/amateur bout when he meets Warlley Alves (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 135, has fears about the potential physical pitfalls fighting could bring later in life. He’s extremely passionate about the sport but said there’s no chance of him going down as one of the names who stuck around past his expiration date.

“I see some of these guys, the older guys that couldn’t quit the sport, they couldn’t quit the drug,” Krause told MMAjunkie. “I see these guys, and they can’t even tie their damn shoes. They can’t even form complete sentences sometimes. I don’t want to be that guy. I want to be the guy that quits one fight too early than one fight too late. I’ll be on the early end. I’m telling you, I will.

“It’s easy money, it really is. It’s the easiest money I’ve ever made in my life. You have to train really hard and all that stuff, but I train hard anyway. I train hard without a fight. I’ve said this 1,000 times: Your MMA fighters typically come from low-income families or broken households or both. It’s like, ‘You’re paying me ‘this’ to fight? OK, cool.’ I don’t want to be that guy where I can’t even hold a conversation with somebody. I don’t want to be that guy who has a hard time tying their shoes, getting out of bed every morning.

“You can’t let the sport take your life away. I’ve dedicated my life to it, but I will never let the sport take my life away. I don’t think that’s the right way to do things. There’s so much more to life. It’s 10-15 years. If you live until you’re 80 that’s a small portion of your life.”

UFC Fight Night 135 takes place at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb. Krause vs. Alves airs on the FS2-televised preliminary card following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass and prior to the main card on FS1.

Krause will return to the welterweight division for the matchup. He’s 6-0 in his pro career when fighting at 170 pounds. He believes not cutting down to lightweight will give him more longevity and better performances after only operating at “75-80 percent” when fighting down a class.

The 32-year-old has won his past four fights and hopes to keep the momentum going. However, he said he approaches each bout with the mindset that it could be his last, because it very well could be.

“I have no idea when I’m going to be done,” Krause said. “The game is going to tell me. I won’t be the guy that it’ll take three losses in a row. It’s a feeling, I think. It’s a feeling, and it’s a drug, because it’s the highest highs and lowest lows. People chase that just like they chase meth or whatever your drug of choice is. In my opinion it’s the most difficult sport in the world to quit. I feel like the second I get that hint of, ‘Maybe you should be done?’ That’s when I’ll cut it. I don’t know when that is, but I feel like the game will tell me. Once that happens I’ll dive even deeper (into coaching).”

For more on UFC Fight Night 135, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.