LOS ANGELES -- When it comes to discussing his inevitable retirement from mixed martial arts, Josh Koscheck is surprisingly comfortable.

No one fights forever, he says, and he's always known that. The way things look, he'll finish his career without ever holding a UFC championship, which he's made peace with.

One thing Koscheck, 37, would like to make very clear, however, is that he would never stick around just to collect a paycheck. Of course, money has long been an extremely important factor in his career -- but he wouldn't allow it to become the sole one.

So, if anyone thinks Koscheck is returning from a 15-month layoff this weekend to fight Jake Ellenberger at UFC 184 simply to make some cash, that someone would be wrong.

"Trust me, I wouldn't come back and do this for a paycheck," Koscheck told ESPN.com. "This is something I strive to do. I've had a long career. I want to finish that career on a good note, and that starts on Feb. 28 with Jake."

Koscheck, who holds a lifetime 15-8 record in the UFC and once challenged Georges St-Pierre for the welterweight title, spoke to ESPN.com about facing the end of his fighting career ahead of his fight against Ellenberger on Saturday.

ESPN.com: Can you speak a little bit about how this fight against Ellenberger came together?

Koscheck: I told the UFC to match me up. They said, "OK, you want to fight (Neil Magny)?" I won't tell anybody no. I said, "Yeah, sure. I don't know a thing about him, but I'll fight him." A couple days later, the UFC called back and said, "We scratched that. We want you to fight Jake Ellenberger." I said, "OK, cool." I don't turn fights down. I go with the flow. Whoever they put in front of me is who I'll fight.

ESPN.com: At this point in your career, you've earned the right to have a say in that, though. Why not request specific opponents?

Koscheck: I honestly, who do I -- do I just call someone out? Do I just talk s--- about them? I'm not a young kid anymore. I'm not going to just be like, "Hey, you're a d----- b--. I want to fight you." For me, it's just give me somebody you'd like to see me fight and I'll go out and fight them.

ESPN.com: You've said you have two fights left on your UFC contract. Do you have any kind of plan or goals for the rest of your career?

Koscheck: I feel good. My body feels good. Two fights left: this one and one more. Then, I'll sit down with (UFC president) Dana White, and hopefully, we can get something going. I'm not looking too far ahead. I don't care about belts right now. There are a lot of guys in there that deserve a title shot way before me. What I care about is getting my hand raised. It's been a long time since I got my hand raised, and I'm looking forward to that.

ESPN.com: The UFC likes to extend fighters' contracts before they expire. If the company comes to you and wants you to sign a new deal after this fight, what do you think your reaction will be?

Koscheck: Yeah, I'm always game for it. At this point, I take my life one day at a time. I'm not looking ahead or anything. I'm sure Dana and I will have the opportunity to chat about what Josh Koscheck's future looks like and whether they want to be a part of it or not. I really don't know their mindset, nor do I care. I care about the only thing I can control, which is getting my hand raised at the end of the night.

ESPN.com: How was it at first, getting back into fight training after a long layoff?

Koscheck: I didn't take a whole 15 months outside of the gym. People who are thinking, "Oh, all he did was fish and fly planes" -- that's not me. I had guys fighting in my gym and I needed to be there to train. I love the feeling of being in shape. That's in my DNA. But to answer your question, as far as training camp, yeah, it was tough. I put my body and mind through hell during a fight camp. That's what fans and people in the organization don't get to see. We beat our asses every day in the gym.

ESPN.com: Not to make this sound like you're retiring now, but when you look back on your career, are you satisfied with it?

Koscheck: I think I've done some good things in the sport. When I first came into the UFC, I didn't know anything about MMA. I was a straight wrestler. When I went on The Ultimate Fighter, I had zero training. I had taken a couple jiu-jitsu classes and got my ass kicked. Everybody, over the course of my career, has gotten to see me change from a wrestler to a complete mixed martial artist.

I didn't get to win the championship, but I've had good fights and I've beat some good guys. It's not like I fought a bunch of bums. I fought some monsters. I fought some of the best guys pound for pound in the history of the UFC. For me, at this point in my career, I'm happy to still be here and get the opportunity to get my hand raised.

ESPN.com: What is your take on other people discussing whether or not a fighter should retire? Does it anger you or do you view it as a positive, that someone cares about your long-term health?

Koscheck: I have good people around me, so if they ever say, "Hey, I think you should retire," maybe that's something I would have to consider. But ultimately, it will be my decision and I will make the decision when the time comes -- and it will be the right decision. I have good mentors in Bob Cook and DeWayne Zinkin. Those guys keep it real with me, and we have more than just a business relationship. Those guys would set me straight real quick and say, "I think you need to move on to something else."