Sergey, tell us about the fight with Krasimir Kostadinov. This was without a doubt one of the most interesting fights in A1.

I used side pressure, blocked from the top, but my position wasn’t good enough to push him down. I made a mistake out of haste. He pulled my arm and won.

You tried to go for triceps a couple of times…

Yes, exactly. Every time I did that, he pulled me but couldn’t pin me.

How did you like the Americans? They said a couple of times that we fight differently. What are the differences? What can you say about Hutchings?

He made an unforgettable impression. Witty, positive, and strong. After the last Nemiroff when I steamrolled the three of them, he did his homework, although he did cheat a bit. There was obvious wrist twisting that nobody corrected. That’s why he took me with hook. I also approached fighting in right arm wrong. Although when we fought backstage, I won. He’s in great shape for his age. Hutchings is a thinking fighter. As for differences … oh well, there’s plenty to talk about. First of all, their referees are much more tolerant.

Yes, you can see that in UAL sometimes.

Our referees are way more restrictive.

You think that’s better?

I think that a guy who’s used to more lenient refereeing might have a hard time to get used to that. Sometimes it’s enough to get yourself a little leeway for the fight to go sideways. The better the fighters, the less is needed. Maybe it’s because their medium level is a little lower, and refereeing is adjusted to this level. I’m not talking about masters and masses. Or maybe it’s tradition. It’s one thing to fight for the show or for pleasure, another thing to fight for results. It all depends on the formula of the contest. They value the game and armfights more. We put more emphasis on the Olympic system. We prepare for different things. They want to make cash, we want to get medals (laughs). That’s probably the reason why the American team never qualifies at the top at the world championships.

And what do you think about the final fight ? Was the result as you expected?

Chaffee came well prepared, but he prepared for a “different Typlenkov”.

“Different Tsyplenkov” – what do you mean?

I mean that Denis started to show different techniques. It’s not only power that matters, but also the vector – technique. And using adequate, effective power in response to the rivals’ efforts – now that’s tactics. The more techniques you have at your disposal, the more varied – and successful – your tactics. The more probable it gets to find your opponent’s weak spot. The easier the victory at small cost. I think Denis put in some serious work.

Dave attacked the fingers, moving his elbow forward, which gave him stronger pressure. You can deal with that by tightening your wrist, which I think Denis did. Some work has been done. The rule of the bent nail worked here – it’s easier to bend it that to straighten it back.


AK