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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: PRIDE FC & PRIDE GP CHAMPION - EMELIANENKO FEDOR

This is an interview, translated by REDD DEVIL's Stanislav Khramov. The last Russian Czar, FEDOR EMILIANENKO!

DENIS MARTINS: You had a busy beginning of 2006 by traveling to South Korea. What did you do there and what did you think about the country itself Emelianenko Fedor: I was invited by the Korean Sambo Federation on Festival of Combat Sambo, where my brother (Emelianenko Aleksander) and I gave some lessons on the seminar for Korean martial arts students.

DENIS MARTINS: You are a guy who never forgets your Sambo Martial Arts. You always compete in the events that you can. How is the importance of this kind of training in Sambo related to competing in MMA? Fedor: Combat Sambo is my basic training for MMA fights and of course, I use my new experience from each MMA fight for preparation in future fights.

DENIS MARTINS: Your last fight in the PRIDE ring was against ZULUZINHO at PRIDE Shockwave 2005(Dec 31th Saitama Super Arena). What did you expect from him? Was it easier than you thought it would be? Fedor: No, I just thought that the fight against ZULUZINHO would be longer. However, what happened was supposed to happen.

DENIS MARTINS: You had already faced different Brazilians (Ricardo Arona, Renato 'Babalu' Sobral, & Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira[three times]) and all of those fights went to unanimous decision wins in your favor. Did you expect a tough performance from ZULUZINHO, too? Fedor:: No, I prepared myself to finish my fight against ZULUZINHO quickly, like I try to finish each of my fights.

DENIS MARTINS: You had problems with your right hand after this fight. What is the exact problem and what kind of surgery did you have done? Fedor: I had a problem with a joint in my hand and also a fracture after my fight with Gary 'Big Daddy' Goodridge(at PRIDE-Total Elimination 2003 in August 10, 2003 - Saitama). After this fight, my joint got worse after each fight. I had hand surgery on January 26th and my doctor said the surgery produced good results.

DENIS MARTINS: Did you have surgery last year? Fedor: No, this was my first surgery. I hope my hand recovers better so I can stay in 100% fighting condition. Anyways, I recover to 95%, it will be okay. My doctor said that the possibility of a perfect recovery was strong.

DENIS MARTINS: When you will be able to fight at PRIDE again? Fedor: My doctor said it is possible after 8-10 months. Well, impossible to say exactly because it depends on the recovery process.

DENIS MARTINS: You are the man to be beaten in the PRIDE ring, as you have never lost a fight there. How do you keep staying motivated each time you fight? Fedor: My motivation is very simple. I think about each of my fights as if it is my last fight. And I must show to everyone all that I know and all that I can do in an MMA fight.

DENIS MARTINS: PRIDE is creating an open-weight tournament. The first round starts on 5/5 at the Osaka Dome. What is your opinion about this? Will it be a tournament dominated by the heavyweights? Fedor: I think it will be a very interesting tournament. For me personally, it does not mean a big difference to me in the weight difference between me and my opponents.

DENIS MARTINS: Who was the hardest opponent you faced in PRIDE? Nogueira? Cro Cop? Fujita?Fedor: All of them have something special in their fight technique and each one of them are very serious fighters. They are not just simple opponents. However, I would like to emphasize my fights against Nogueira and Mirko. In these fights, I put into practice all of my fighting experience.

DENIS MARTINS: Casual fans do not get many chances to read information about you. I would like to ask you to tell me a little bit about your personal life. I know you are married and have a child. However, what do you like to do when you free time in your life? Fedor: I try to spend a lot of my free time with my family, daughter, and wife. I like to draw if I have some time and inspiration. I like to listen to music and read books. Sometimes, in the winter, I like to swim in an ice hole.

DENIS MARTINS: Nowadays, we see a dominance of fighters from the (ex-USSR) Russian MMA scene. The UFC Heavyweight champion is Andrei Arlovsky from Belarus. You and your brother, plus Sergey Kharitonov are representing Russia in PRIDE. There are also some good Lithuanian fighters in K-1 HERO'S promotion and in SHOOTO. What do you think about the dominance of fighters from this area, and do you think will we see more fighters coming shortly? Fedor: Fighters from ex-USSR countries are the top-ranked and strongest fighters now. They will take the highest positions in the MMA world. I hope to see in the near future a dominance of ex-USSR fighters. We still have a lot of growth and development in the MMA scene.

DENIS MARTINS: You are a Red Devil fighter. Who do you think from your team will emerge strongly in 2006? Fedor: There are already some good Red Devil fighters, such as my brother Aleksander. Also, there is Roman Zentsov, Amar Suloev, and many young fighters who are not known to the general MMA public. I would like to emphasize names like Erik Oganov and Ramazan Akhaddulaev. I think we can see them on international MMA events (such as the PRIDE ring) in the near future.

DENIS MARTINS: Do you think there is any chance of facing Nogueira again? Why? Fedor: If nobody else can fight me and only Nogueira stays as a real contender, why not? I am ready to face him.

DENIS MARTINS: What do you think of the idea of facing your former teammate, Kharitonov? No problems? Fedor: No problems. I am ready to face Kharitonov. Of course, that is if he does not fear fighting me.

DENIS MARTINS: What kind of message would you like to send to the readers of this interview? Fedor: Unfortunately, I cannot fight soon with my hand in a rehabilitation period after surgery. I will try to recover and start training ASAP. I hope my fans enjoy my return to fighting and my victories. Thanks a million, and a big gratitude to all of my fans for their support of me. See you soon in the ring!

Pobrano iz:
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Kr zanimljiv intervju! ...seprav Fedor je za letos končal, zdej bo treba čakat približno 1 leto da ga vidmo zopet u akciji, do takrat se bo pa nabralo kar nekaj izzivalcev!