"That doesn't surprise me that Anderson is out after that fight. I would love it if Chael was Anderson's next opponent. Dana's the boss. He makes those decisions and does he care what I think? Probably not, but he cares what the fans think and if the fans want that, Dana's really good at trying to do what the fans want. If the fans want to see Chael as Anderson's next opponent, that would be great because I think Dana would be more than happy to do it. We would love to be Anderson's next opponent. Will Chael take a fight in between there? Yeah! If we're healthy and Dana wants us to fight, then we're back in there. Chael will fight. That's what he does; he fights. He's a fighter and he's going to do whatever it takes to get that belt. If that means he's gotta take another fight in between, we will do that. We will do whatever it takes," stated MMA legend Matt Lindland as he talked about the mentor/student relationship he has with his training partner, Chael Sonnen, and the disappointment that both men felt in Sonnen's tough loss to Anderson Silva. Check it out!

PC: I'm sure Chael's loss was very disappointing for you guys. How is he holding up?

ML: Chael is doing fine. He really didn't get hurt in that fight. He got a little banged up and beat up, but when you're fighting the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet for 23 ½ minutes, that's going to happen. He got cuts and a couple of little things. He needs to take some time off to recover physically and mentally, but he's not really damaged at all.

PC: You were once in the same shoes that Chael was in on Saturday night, and that's fighting the best fighter on the planet when you fought Fedor in 2007. What are some of the things you told Chael to prepare him for that moment?

ML: Ah man, we talked about everything (laughing). You would have to be a little more specific. We talked about a lot of stuff going into fights. Chael has been my student since he was 15 years old and I just communicate a lot of things with him. He and I have great dialogue; a student and mentor relationship. We talk about all kinds of stuff going into fights though: mental stuff, strategic stuff and game plans. I just want to keep his head on straight.

PC: Chael's talk was not just smoke screens; the guy really believed in himself.

ML: Oh yeah. Why wouldn't he believe everything he was saying? And he went out and proved it to everybody else. Everybody else should believe in everything he said. He definitely believes what he was saying and if it helped sell the fight, why wouldn't he say that stuff?

PC: When you have a fighter doing so well in a fight, what do you tell them in between rounds to make sure they stay effective and not deviate from the game plan?

ML: I think they caught a lot of the dialogue. I was just telling him simple stuff. He didn't have to just win that round, but he has to win every situation in every round. I was letting him know just what it was going to take to close that distance and that he had to come in behind punches. There was a lot of technique and strategy that went into putting that performance together, so I was just reminding him of that stuff. That's really what my job is, to keep that in the forefront of his mind, you know? I only got 60 seconds, so there is not a lot of time to really give instructions or anything, but I just wanted to keep him motivated and just help him remember what he wanted to do. That was completely his performance and he did absolutely everything. I don't feel like I deserve any of the credit for that. Chael was capable of doing that stuff. The one thing that I will take credit for is putting the time in with him. I think that that's so important, to build a relationship with your athletes, and you have to that repoire and work together closely. That takes time to develop those kinds of relationships. He can look at me and he knows what I'm thinking. Something it may take me a couple of years to explain to you, I can explain to him in 2 to 3 words, you know? Chael and I have that dialogue down and we know each other very well.

PC: You have been with Chael for a very long time. What was the feeling like for you to see him get so close and come up short?

ML: I was disappointed, but not in Chael; just for Chael. I know how long he's worked and I know what that feels like to come in second. I would love to see him be the champion because I think he deserves it and I would just love to have him have that feeling. I want to see him with that belt and be a champion for awhile. He would be a great champion and he would help promote the UFC and build his brand up.

PC: You said that you would like to see a rematch before the end of the year. Silva will be sidelined until February or March. Would you like Silva to be Chael's next opponent still or do you not want to see him on the sideline that long?

ML: That doesn't surprise me that Anderson is out after that fight. I would love it if Chael was Anderson's next opponent. Dana's the boss. He makes those decisions and does he care what I think? Probably not, but he cares what the fans think and if the fans want that, Dana's really good at trying to do what the fans want. If the fans want to see Chael as Anderson's next opponent, that would be great because I think Dana would be more than happy to do it. We would love to be Anderson's next opponent. Will Chael take a fight in between there? Yeah! If we're healthy and Dana wants us to fight, then we're back in there. Chael will fight. That's what he does; he fights. He's a fighter and he's going to do whatever it takes to get that belt. If that means he's gotta take another fight in between, we will do that. We will do whatever it takes.

PC: Now to discuss your career a little. Strikeforce has a middleweight tournament coming up soon. Is that something you are a part of?

ML: I keep hearing talks that I might be in that tournament. That would be a great opportunity. I would love to be in that tournament. I keep hearing rumors that I'm going to be (laughing), but again, I think if the fans want to see it, they gotta speak up and let everybody know that. I don't think I'm done. I've put my time in and I spent a lot of time in this sport. I trained right alongside Chael this whole time and helped him get ready for this fight. We have a really young and talented middleweight that trains with us named Tyson Jeffries, who won the M-1 Final tournament. He's in the finals. But yeah, I would love to be a part of that tournament and I'm hearing talks that I am. I don't know the details or the other names, but I'm looking forward to it.

PC: You have paved the way for many fighters and you have paid your dues in this sport. A lot of people wrote you off and then you looked great in your last fight against Casey. What keeps you motivated?

ML: I think it's the greatest sport on the planet. I wish it was around all of those years when I was messing around with wrestling. I wish MMA was around and honestly, it just started. When I was wrestling, I was deep into my wrestling career and I didn't get into this sport until I was in my 30's. I'm still having a lot of fun; I'm learning so much and growing so much as a fighter. I'm constantly finding new skills and things to do in the sport. I enjoy everything about it, honestly.

PC: Thanks for your time. You had Chael very well-prepared. Good luck to you in getting into that tournament and for Chael's future fights.

ML: It's my pleasure. Thank you!