LAS VEGAS – James Krause sees himself going one of two directions next.

Winner of six of his last seven fights, Krause (27-8 MMA, 8-4 UFC) saw his streak come to a halt when he lost a razor-thin split decision to Trevin Giles last month at UFC 247, in a middleweight bout that he accepted on just one day’s notice.

And while his team is appealing the loss due to judge Joe Soliz’s potential conflict of interest, Krause is ready to move on. He sees himself either taking on an established veteran or a top-ranked welterweight next.

One name comes to mind, and it’s for a specific reason.

“There’s a couple of different routes I could go,” Krause told MMA Junkie. “I feel like the two routes are like fighting some legends of this sport. A couple of names come to mind like Diego Sanchez, Carlos Condit. I have a thing for Diego for some reason. I can’t stand his coach (Joshua Fabia). I feel like they’re selling wolf tickets to the sport of MMA, to the fans of MMA.

“Just some of that stuff, that guy says is ridiculous to me. I just can’t seem to get behind it, and I think he’s got Diego manipulated, and I think – I’m not a fan of the man. You have to put some real work into this sport to become a coach of a high-level athlete, and I feel like this guy has short-cut that and hasn’t done those things.”

Fabia, Sanchez’s coach and founder of the School of Self-Awareness, has received heavy criticism from the MMA community, but this topic hits home for Krause considering he’s not just a fighter but a successful head coach and gym owner.

“There’s a difference between a motivator and a coach,” Krause said. “If you need motivation to fight at this level, you’re probably not in the right place. Is he a good motivator? I’m not sure, maybe he is. At the end of the day, it takes more than motivation to win at this level, and I just think he’s a master manipulator, and he’s got somebody like Diego, who’s got some real skills, and I think he’s holding him back because of it. And there’s no shortcuts in this sport, and it’s really hard for me to respect somebody that tries to shortcut the process to get to the high level especially in coaching, especially coaching high-level athletes.”

If not a notable name like Sanchez, Krause had his eye on a specific matchup that took place last weekend at UFC 248.

“The other route would be going for top-15 guys,” Krause said. “I’m really going to watch close the Magny vs. Li Jingliang fight. I personally don’t care about the rankings to be honest with you. I want fights that interest me, that intrigue me, get me out of bed. So the fights like Diego, I’m not necessarily saying Diego, but guys like that interest me more.”

To hear more from Krause, watch the video above.