Perhaps in the upcoming Nemiroff World Cup one of the most interesting participants will be Khadzhimurat Zoloyev. This participant many times has shown fights which were unexpected by many. Zoloyev proved to the entire world that he doesn't need to be huge in size in order to give an even fight to "big" armwrestlers. I won't quote all of Khadzhimurat's achievements, I know well what he's capable of.

Khadzy, on Nemiroff you'll fight with your right arm, what about the left?

As many might have noticed, I focus especially on the right arm. With the right arm I'm able to fight at any level; I can't say the same about the left arm, though I also want to fight with it. I had a serious injury to the left arm and it probably has impact on fights with the right arm. From that time I haven't had the courage to fight "for real" with my left arm. But at this moment I can say that if the preparations go without injury, it's quite possible that I will also take part in left arm fights.

How do you rate your shape?

My physical shape is within norm. If I have to judge my readiness level in percentages, I don't want to jinx it, so I won't say.

Are you planning to participate in the OPEN category?

Of course! In the whole Nemiroff that's what I enjoy the most.

What goals do you set for yourself in the tournament?

Give a decent show, show spectacular fights and get good scores. I always give everything I can to reach my goal.

What do you think, will John Brzenk return to the top of armwrestling?

At the moment John can easily return to armwrestling in the under 95 kg category. In the open, he can reach top three, but not the first place; there are giants there now. I think that comments about Brzenk are unnecessary. He's my idol, I appreciate and respect him as a man and a competitor. He'll remain forever in the chronicles of armwrestling.

Is he going to be a worthy opponent for Cyplenkov?

Cyplenkov shocked me with his form on A1. If he maintains it on Nemiroff, he'll definitely be outside of anyone's reach. I don't even know who can I compare him to.

What's your view on situations when one of the competitors gives up his hand without a fight to a stronger one, calling on his superiority?

I always fight to the end. There are, however, exceptions, for example the so-called tactical reason for a tie. I can't answer for others, it's an individual choice.

On which of all armwrestlers would you like to have your revenge?

Noone, or maybe Jerry Cadorette.

Recalling your previous times on Nemiroff, which one of them do you consider as the most memorable and why?

The previous Nemiroff, it was just huge stress, in a positive way. That's exactly when the competitors were the biggest, when I fought with them evenly. But my semifinal wasn't too pleasing. Not because I lost, but because I haven't had the time to regenerate and regain my strength for the next fight. What I'm the most pleased about is the fact that I put my name into the top three of the Cup forever.

What is Nemiroff for you?

Nemiroff is the closing of the season of the key and most important competitions. After the tournament I rest until January, and then I start the preparations for the Russian championships.

What's your opinion about the video recording of fouls? Is it worth it to use them on professional tournaments?

I'm absolutely against such a system. I remember the fight of Brzesk and Semerenko on Nemiroff. They locked so hard that Semerenko's veins almost burst from the tension! The referees gave some nonsensical foul and stopped this beautiful spectacle. I had the same situation in 2011 when fighting with Cadorette. I successfuly stopped and blocked him, thinking in my head: "All right, you're mine". Suddenly the fight was stopped for reasons unclear to me. There was no foul, but the referees gave it to Cadorette. What I'm getting at is that the competitors should be given a chance to prove themselves and fight. And how many such cases were there on the World Championship! Ok, I can fight even 10 times. But there were so many competitors, with whom others won only by means of fouls. I think that the best solution in this case are highly qualified referees, who can make a quick decision in case of dispute.

Artur Grigorjan