If there is any person in mixed martial arts who has nearly seen it all, it might be UFC heavyweight Josh Barnett. The fighter has done two stints in the UFC, fought in virtually every other organization that mattered, won titles and even matured into a new nickname.

At age 38 and facing Andrei Arlovski at UFC Fight Night 93 on Saturday, the questions about how much longer he intends to keep fighting are becoming more and more frequent.

"My mental state is as good as it's been," Barnett said on Monday's The MMA Hour. "I actually asked for this fight because I'm not the only old geezer on this thing. You got Andrei. He's just as old as I am, essentially. The fact that he's been knocked out like twelve times means he's probably even older yet.

"I'm aiming to make it thirteen," he continued.

According to Barnett, his latest camp for this main event contest "went really fantastic." He brought in a series of top sparring partners and coaches, including Joel Scharatt, head coach of the Naval Academy's wrestling team. This time, Barnett observed, the camp was strong not merely because of who was there, but how long. "It was just of a matter of getting a bit more time with some of these guys," he said, noting the difference. "I feel great. The mind feels fresh. Loving the German air."

Still, questions linger in the air not merely about this fight for Barnett, but about the number of them left. His second UFC run has been up and down. The former UFC heavyweight champ has gone 2-2, but both losses have been stoppages, including his first loss via submission most recently against Ben Rothwell.

Barnett knows the career is winding to a close, but remains noncommittal when trying to pinpoint a precise time.

"I don't know how much longer I'm going to keep doing this because I've been doing this for 20 years," he said. "I was in the gym just getting a little cardio work in, what have you and this kid comes up to me. I'm going to assume Russian, but I know he could be from any number of Eastern European countries.

"He goes, 'Oh man, I'd really like to shake your hand. It's really great to meet you. Man, I remember watching you fight way back in the day. I was just a little kid.'

"It hit home, I've been doing this that long," Barnett explained. "There are people that were children. I've said it jokingly before, but it is a truth there are people that didn't even know what the hell the UFC was when I was fighting in it. Now they're in the UFC. I've seen at least, probably, two, maybe three generations of fighters come and go."

Some of Barnett's plans likely hinge on what happens inside the Octagon. If things go well, perhaps that could extend the life of his career. If, on the other hand, they go poorly, anything's possible. Facing a guy like Arlovski on Saturday, who is aging but still dangerous, Barnett notes it's hard to know what to expect and how that could impact his future. What he is certain of, however, has been a motivational factor in peaking performance.

"I don't know. I really don't," Barnett said when asked what he expected from Arlovski. "He's done so much over so long of a career and everybody has witnessed his talent time and time again, but I'd like to think that whatever he possesses now is not going to be good enough. And to say whatever he had then was never going to be good enough, but I have to go out there and implement my will upon him. Knowing how tough Andrei Arlovski is meant that I had to train incredibly hard. I had to keep a lot things in mind while I'm training to perfect my approach towards this fight. He is not someone to take lightly and he isn't anybody to underestimate.

"I have ultimate faith in who I am, what I've done and what I possess to go into that cage. Knowing that, it doesn't diminish the fact of how dangerous an opponent Andrei Arlovski is," he claimed. "He's coming off of two losses, but like people often say, it's the cornered animal."

Most notably, Barnett said the title isn't an object of desire. For one, he's already held the UFC heavyweight crown, albeit something he was forced to give up after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs following a win over Randy Couture at UFC 36 in June of 2002.

Second, though, is that he still has enough confidence in who he is and what he's done that he doesn't feel he ever needs to beg for the opportunity. He's, in his own estimation, plenty ready, capable and deserving.

"I just think about winning," Barnett confessed. "Winning is really all that matters. I don't need to chase titles because I've fought in so many title fights and so many title fight-level matches that if somebody thinks I need to give them a reason to give me a shot at any belt in the world, then clearly they don't know what they're about as far as MMA. I'm ready to fight anybody with any belt anywhere in the world. This fight could be a title fight in the UFC. It could be a title fight anywhere. It just so happens that it's not, but it is the main event and I'm hoping that Andrei is a much nicer guy than Roy Nelson. And if I happen to be winning, he actually lets me finish him or something so we don't have to keep fighting out there.

"To be perfectly honest, he's a heavyweight, too," he joked. "I don't know why the hell he would want to go 25 minutes if he didn't have to."

The fight is taking place in 2016, but Barnett likes it not merely for the chance to get back in the win column, but for what it represents in both fighter's careers. This isn't veteran vs. young buck. These are two veterans in surprisingly similar positions, both now and previously. The pair also share a bit of history together.

"The way I introduced this fight to the fan base out here was this is UFC vs. PRIDE," he explained. "He was the UFC hotshot while we were over in PRIDE. This is one of those matchups that people would've wanted to have seen back in the day that never happened. By having us get in there now, I know it's a bit after the fact. Technically, we're both UFC fighters, not to mention I was a UFC fighter before being a PRIDE fighter. Our ascent in the MMA world started at the same time. He was on the same card as I was, UFC 28 in Atlantic City at the Trump Taj Mahal."

In some ways, Barnett noted, his motivation hasn't changed. Maybe he's moved through organizations, birthdays, belts, countries, and nicknames, but the goal remains the same: beat the toughest guys he can as often as he can, wherever he has to do it.

As long as the mentality to compete like remains, perhaps Barnett will as well.

"Here we are, come full circle. I want to get in the ring with him," Barnett noted. "I want to challenge this guy that used to be considered unstoppable. Simple as that."