Chael Sonnen says move up to Light Heavyweight, eventual fight with Jon Jones, are possible

Muhammad Ali once said, "It's not bragging if you can back it up."

But if you can't, you just look silly, which was the result when Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight Chael Sonnen was served a second helping of humble pie by the 185-pound champion, Anderson Silva, at UFC 148 in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 7, 2012.

Since that infamous night, "The American Gangster" has gone out of his way to be complimentary about "The Spider" and his effort in victory.

There have been rumors of Sonnen's possible retirement and even a move to the WWE, but both of those stories have been squashed in the preliminary stages by all parties involved.

Could a move up to Light Heavyweight be next for Sonnen? And is it possible that Jon Jones might be the next title holder to find himself in the crosshairs of Sonnen's verbal assaults?

Find out after the jump:

Sonnen took a moment to answer a few questions during an interview with FUEL TV's "UFC Tonight," where he discussed his recent loss to Silva, as well as his future plans.

From the get-go, Chael was quick to point out that he feels that the story should be more about Silva's greatness than Sonnen's own mistakes:

"You know it is a two man sport and you know so many time you get asked what you did wrong or what could you do differently. A lot of times you have to make sure you are complimentary; it's what he did right. I fell down at one point and he capitalized. Good for him."

Much has been made about the knee that Silva landed while Sonnen was still down. Did it hit him in the chest or the head?

Sonnen continued to stick to the same song he's been signing since last Saturday night -- It doesn't matter:

"Well first off I would never appeal a loss. The referee's decision is final. Those are the rules I agreed to before the event. I agreed to play by those rules are. But no I would not appeal it. The knee hit me in the face and yes you can't hit the knee to the face, but it is the referee's call and there is no replay. I don't want that to change. I have done things in the octagon at spare of the moment also. The referee didn't say anything, so it's fair game. The knee landed where the knee landed, the result is the same and I don't dispute the results."

After all the trash talk and bad blood between Sonnen and Silva, is it even possible for the two to squash their respective beef?

Sonnen thinks so. He seems to be of the mindset that it's over, and he has no regrets:

"Listen, you know that was very nice what he said [inviting him to his family BBQ] but at the end of the day I never wished Silva a bad life. I shook his hand in the ring and I wish him a good life. If I had the chance to fight him again, I would definitely take it. I am appreciative of him and of the chance he gave me to fight him again and the first time. I was very good for Anderson, but Anderson was very good for me too."

When asked bluntly about what the next steps will be for his career (a question he's been asked many times within the last few days), Sonnen stuck to his original guns, in that he still feels he needs time to clear his head a bit before he makes any major decisions.

But this time, Chael made an inference that is sure to raise some eyebrows:

"I love this sport and I would never want to retire. My coach Clayton will be the one that retires me based on my results and productivity in practice. I could have easily defeated him, physically I'm fine, mentally im fine. Give me a couple of weeks to settle in and when you get in the spot that I am in, we will see. Anderson could retire any day now. And there is simply an option to start over by changing weight class. My mentors have done it and it could happen. I would go up to 205. Jon Jones. There are some great guys at 185, but traditionally and historically it is a good way to get a fresh start and start over."

Sonnen actually made his UFC debut at 205 pounds, in a losing effort versus Renato Sobral at UFC 55 in Uncasville, Mass., on Oct. 7, 2005, so it wouldn't be the first time he's fought at that respective weight class. But, it has been almost seven years.

How does the move grab you? Can you see any intriguing fights for "The People's Champion" at light heavyweight?