Interview with Aleksander Emelianenko

Interview with Aleksander Emelianenko. Interesting quotes:

What are your impressions from the event in Saint-Petersburg?
- I did not see all the fights, because when I fight, I try not to get distracted. I try to get focused and do some prelim exercises. I liked my fight. I came out and did what I had to do, and won. We will rewatch the fight with my coach, go through mistakes.

Is it plausible to compare the show with the likes of shows in Europe and America?
- Mixed martial arts is a young sport in Russia. Not one sport has gained such a popularity in such a short time. We already are filling the stadiums. On the other hand, we cannot organize everything as good yet. But we're trying. I think it will start working soon.

Your opponent was lower in class, it was noticeable. When will we be able to see you in a fight with someone who's considered to be one of the best in the world?
- I only found out who will be my opponent a week prior to the fight. Everyone refused to fight with me, he was the one who'd agreed. He is not weak, he's a good fighter, he had a lot of fights. It's just that I'm strong and train a lot. Today I am ready to fight with any top fighter, to prove that I'm the best!

Is it hard to recover after a loss?
- No. You just need to understand why you lost. And draw conclusions. It's not scary to come out for the next fight. I know that I'm the best. Let my opponents fear me. That's what they do anyway.

What are you upcoming plans?
- Today I will talk with a promoter, to try to negotiate a fight in Canada on May 10. I don't know an opponent yet. To win and to become the best in the world - those are my upcoming plans.

Where do you live and train now?
- In Saint-Petersburg. I don't know why they still announce that I'm from Stary Oskol, for my second fight already. I left that place a long time ago. Maybe because I don't have a permanent registration here. But I do have a temporary one. I rent an appartment in the center of the city. Valentina Matvienko (Saint Petersburg's governor) promised me to help with a place to live.

How did you come to the fighting sport?
- I started with Judo. At 16 years old I got a
Master of Sports in Judo title. In 1999 I won the Europian championship in sports sambo. Three times, in 2003, 2005 and 2006 I won the world championship in combat sambo. But I don't participate in those every year. It's more of a hobby for me. I fought so that I could get the titles of Master of the Sport. Sometimes I come to world championships to fight and my opponents quit. One of the championships I won without ever fighting. Didn't come out on the mat even once.

(...)

It's been a while since strongest fighters faced each other. Maybe, it's time to organize some unified tournament, where all the fighters in the world would compete, no matter which organization they're from?
- I would gladly participate in such a tournament. UFC (american mixed martial arts), for example, won't take me, because if they let me in there, I would beat everybody and take the belt to Russia. They don't want that. They want their own American champions. We alreayd beat everyone in Japan, even though no one bet on us.

Read the whole interview.

I don't know if I would agree with the latter opinion about the UFC... Aleksander is a very good fighter, but very few seems to want him in the USA. The rumor has it that it is because he is not allowed to fight in the USA - all because his time in prison. It's a rumor and nobody knows for sure. But interestingly enough, the next fight Aleks is talking about, will happen once again in Canada and not in the United States...