Dmitry, please share your impressions of the second stage of the Top-8.

- The second stage of the Top-8 is probably the fastest competition in my entire career. I arrived, pulled the next day, a day later back home. The biggest impressions are a lot of actions in a very short time. But it’s ok, I am satisfied. It was cool! A very good tournament. True, I did not have time for the introductory part and the cultural program. But next time I will gain.

Intrigue lasted until the last. There was a rumor among the fans that you won’t come to the second stage. Tell us, please, what happened?

- Yes, indeed, there was such a rumor that I would not come to the second stage, since I did not manage to get a foreign passport of the Russian Federation. In a short time I confirmed my citizenship - until 1997 I lived in Russia. This should not have taken much time, but, as always, the process dragged on. With the help of friends, I got a passport and then everything was fast. The day after I received my passport, I was already in Shenzhen.

How do you feel after a victory?

- Alex is undoubtedly a very good opponent. I prepared seriously for it, even though the preparation was difficult, because I was engaged in documents and family. Of course, I trained, these workouts were more for static load. I just put Alex in an uncomfortable position, and then you saw everything.

At what point did you realize that victory is in your pocket?

- In the first round, right after the start, I toprolled Alex, then I pulled my side up and controlled the situation with a wrist, I concluded for myself that I would win this Vendetta. But we pulled to the end and without emotion.

Next - Tim Bresnan, a very difficult opponent. How successful do you think your duel will be for you?

- Yes, Tim Bresnan does not cease to amaze us. He is a very strong and experienced fighter. I will be happy to pull with him. But we understand that Tim is a different level, and we need to prepare for him very seriously, what we are going to do. If in preparation for Alex I allowed myself to train not at 100%, then with Tim this situation will not work. We know how he pulled with the Voevoda, Silaev, Kostadinov. He has a series of high-profile victories, and one more with Rustam Babaev. Therefore, I need to responsibly approach this moment. And there - the table will show.

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