UFC middleweight contender Nate Marquardt talks about his big win over Jeremy Horn at UFC 81. You don't want to miss what he had to say about his performance as well as his future plans as he discusses a potential fight with Michael Bisping, Ricardo Almeida or the winner of Franklin vs. Lutter in hopes of lining himself up for another shot at the title. Plus, check out his thoughts on the upcoming clash between Anderson Silva and Dan Henderson.

PC: Congratulations on your win over Jeremy Horn at UFC 81!

NM: Oh, thanks!

PC: I think that's the most aggressive I've ever seen you fight. Was that the gameplan, to stay on top of him?

NM: Definitely, you know, but I've really always fought like that. I haven't really fought like that since I've been in the UFC, but that's more of my true style.

PC: Physically you looked as good as I have ever seen you look as well. What was the biggest change in your conditioning; have you added a strength and conditioning coach?

NM: Yeah, actually, I've always had really good trainers and one of my trainers has been Mike Van Arsdale and he's always made me feel real strong and conditioned. I've actually been working with Jonathan Chaimberg and he's at jsport.ca. He's Georges St-Pierre's personal trainer and he started working with me about 10 weeks ago for this fight.

PC: Did he incorporate weights or did he just adjust your diet and things like that?

NM: A lot of the stuff that he did was similar to what I had been doing, but he changed a little bit of it and made it more specific for what I need. He also got into my diet and stuff like that so it helped me cut weight.

PC: How do you feel about your performance?

NM: You know, I was really happy. I made some mistakes and it's been awhile since I've really fought like that so I think next time, it will be a lot better. I was very happy with how I fought.

PC: I'm sure it was not your plan to be off nearly 7 months after the Silva fight. I'm sure you would've liked to get back in the win column a lot sooner. How frustrating was that for you?

NM: Yeah, I wanted to get right back in there and not wait 6 months; that kind of stunk. It was just the way it went. We were trying to get the right fight and a high profile fight and it ended up going through so I'm actually real happy with how everything went.

PC: I'm sure the fight with Anderson Silva was a great learning experience man. What did you take away from that fight?

NM: A couple of things, you know, like I said, since I've been fighting in the UFC, I haven't fought like myself. I fought really conservatively and it kind of took away from…I made less mistakes, but it took away from how dangerous I was. I'm getting back to how I used to fight and I'm going to be very dangerous from now on. There were obviously a few technical mistakes that I made that I'm going to look at, but that was my main thing.

PC: Jeremy Horn is very well versed in submissions. You looked extremely calm when he was attempting the omoplata and gogoplata. Had you been training a lot for this...is that why you were able to keep your composure?

NM: I never felt like I was in any kind of trouble there. I have really good Jiu Jitsu and grappling partners and to be honest, I never felt like I was in any danger. I heard my corner call out 15 seconds left and I even looked up at the clock at one point. I could've fought out of it, but I figured the round was over so why even worry about it.

PC: I'm sure you have a ton of respect for Jeremy Horn. What was it like for you to fight a ring legend like Horn?

NM: It was great! He's a great fighter and it was an honor to fight him. I think I definitely fought a good fight for someone that experienced. If I would've made any major mistake, he could've capitalized on it so I'm pretty happy with the way everything went.

PC: You landed a nice standing elbow that dropped him. Did you think you had him then?

NM: Yeah, I definitely felt like it was over and I kind of got too excited and started missing my shots. That's one thing…just because I haven't fought like that in so long, I will have to fine-tune that kind of energy.

PC: Was it a tough switch for you in camp Nate…to go from a fight with Thales Leites to Jeremy Horn?

NM: It didn't really affect me. I looked at a few things that he does and really, my gameplan was…it wasn't a huge change there. It didn't make a big difference.

PC: I know you don't plan on waiting another 6 or 7 months until you fight again. When would you like to fight again?

NM: As soon as possible!

PC: Do you have an opponent in mind that you would like to fight, like the Rich Franklin/Travis Lutter winner?

NM: Definitely the winner of that fight. I'd like to fight Bisping and Ricardo Almeida. I'm sure the UFC could come up with a good fight that makes sense that's going to put me into that title contention. That's where I want to be; getting another title shot.

PC: You were on a 6 or 7 fight winning streak before your loss to Silva. What are some of the things you feel like you have to do to get back to that level?

NM: I feel like I'm already taking the steps to get back on a winning streak. My goal is to get back at a title shot and win that belt.

PC: There's a huge middleweight fight coming up in March between Anderson Silva and Dan Henderson. Who do you like in that fight?

NM: I think it can go either way. I think if Henderson is in shape and he can last all 5 rounds, I think he can win the fight. He could overpower and dominate Anderson, but at the same time, if he takes any round off, Anderson could finish it at any time.

PC: Nate, you looked great man; keep it up. I look forward to seeing more of the old Nate Marquardt. Is there anything you want to say in closing?

NM: Thanks a lot man. That's all.