I don't see myself as one of those guys fighting past the time they should, with people saying, 'When's he going to quit?' That's not going to be me.

-- Chris Lytle

At 36 years old, Chris Lytle can see the finish line to his career. He still thinks it's far off into the future, but he knows it's coming. Ironically, though, the UFC veteran is in the midst of the best stretch of his UFC tenure.Following his unanimous decision win over former welterweight champion Matt Serra at UFC 119, Lytle has won four straight matches and five of his last six, dropping only a close split decision to Marcus Davis in January 2009. And with time ticking, Lytle wants a big fight. In fact, his sights are respectfully set on one man: the surging Carlos Condit "Even before he fought, I said basically I want to fight a top contender and a good, exciting fighter," he said. "I wanted to fight the winner of the Condit-[Dan] Hardy fight. After seeing Carlos knock Hardy out, it made me want it even more. He's looking really good right now, beating good people and he's a really exciting fighter. That's what I'm looking for."If it happens, it will be a fight over one year in the making. Lytle and Condit had been slated to face off in Sept. 2009, but Lytle was eventually forced to withdraw from the match after suffering a knee injury that required ACL surgery. While the procedure sidelined Lytle for six months, Condit moved on, facing and defeating replacement Jake Ellenberger to launch his current three-fight win streak.In the time since, Condit has surged past Lytle in most of the rankings, even though Lytle has a longer stretch of wins including a victory over a former champion. It's a phenomenon he chalks up to misunderstandings related to his fan-friendly style."A lot of people think I just want to go out there and put on a good fight," he said. "That's true to some extent but I'm not going out there to put on a good fight in a losing effort. I'm trying to win at all times. My final goal is a title shot."A lot of people think I just want to go out there and win Fight of the Night," he continued. "They think I'm going to go out there, hit my opponent and then let him hit me so it's a good fight. That's not the case. I'm trying to finish everyone however I can. I'm not willing to go out and be boring, manage the clock and win a decision but I think people confuse that mentality of trying to have an exciting fight with not having the right intentions to win."Being a champion has always been the goal for Lytle, who still occasionally thinks back to the opportunity he missed out on when he lost to Serra in their first encounter in 2007; Serra won by split-decision and moved on to a title match with Georges St. Pierre where he stunned the MMA world with a first-round KO.But in the midst of a win streak that can't be ignored, Lytle feels he's on the right path. With the clock ticking, the race is on."I'm getting older as a fighter," he said. "I'm 36 and I've had my share of injuries. I don't see myself as one of those guys fighting past the time they should, with people saying, 'When's he going to quit?' That's not going to be me. If I can't compete, I'm going to stop. I've had some injuries but I've been fortunate it hasn't been anything to the point it's knocked me from competing yet."In several of his recent camps, Lytle's suffered through minor injuries that hampered him, from a bad elbow to a creaky back to a turf toe that was so bad it made even jogging an impossibility.But through it all, he's persevered with the belief that he could fight his way into contention. In his mind, a match with Condit -- another athlete on a similar route -- seems to make perfect sense."I've always appreciated how he fights," he said. "He's always coming forward, coming after people. He's got a lot of tenacity, as we just saw he has knockout power, he has good submissions and he tries to finish fights. He even comes back and wins fights he's losing. That's the mark of a good fighter. Some guys fold under adversity. He doesn't. Everything for a great fight is there."Though Lytle will have to wait to see if the UFC grants his wish to face Condit, he ultimately hopes that he gets an opponent somewhere around the top five or eight of the division, someone that can help him make the statement that he wants to make."It's do-or-die time," he said. "Hopefully you're going to see the best me you've ever seen and I'll put on some good fights. I just want to keep stepping up my competition level and fighting tough guys. I feel like it's now or never."