Alex, there was almost no difference between you and Krasimir in this fight. What do you think was not enough for you?

- According to the sensations right after the fight, I will say this: in the first round I started feeling that I could catch Krasimir. He may be a very strong hooker, but I can catch him, hold him, open his wrist after the attack. I can pin him, though not with my strongest movement. But at the same time, the straps played a big role. In this match, unlike my previous ones, the strap on a relaxed hand was tied so much that it affected the grip and my toproll movement. I am not against this, but I think that refereeing should be equal. Of course, the strap should not allow slipping again, but it should not limit movements. I think the fight was interesting. Krasimir attacked even with a dead wrist. For a second, we saw even our “favorite” king’s move. There were fouls, there were emotions, a tough fight. I am pleased with the struggle, but there are nuances about my endurance.

What do you think, how long will it take you to recover from such a fight?

- As always. This fight is very comparable to a fight with Rustam. Only here I got a little more blown up and there was a nuance: the strap squeezed my hand. In the duel with Kydyrgali I was tired even more. Yes, I still need to work on endurance. So two months - and I can continue to fight.

You saw the draw. What do you think, which of the participants clutched their head during the draw most?

- I’ll say right away: in the first pair Levan did not hit Dave, but Dave hit Levan.

I think everyone was waiting for Chaffee to fall for someone else so that he could turn on and fight more productively. Both of these guys deserve to be in the top four in a different scenario, and some of them will have to fight in the bottom bracket. But both will prepare seriously. Further Vitaly Laletin and Krasimir Kostadinov. My favorite is Laletin. By the way, I want to send him greetings and thank him for his tips. Regarding Prudnik and Bresnan - there is a chance for an interesting fight. They had once fought, and then Tim defeated Evgeny. Now Prundnik has made great progress, he will tune in to revenge, but Tim will also gain, he is very motivated. Dmitry Silaev and Dmitry Trubin - I do not want to make any forecasts. Of course, Trubin already has some experience in Top 8, he knows how to prepare. I will cheer for both, the main thing is that there will be a cool fight.

You stay in the Top 8...

- Yes, I'm in reserve. And, in addition, we discussed with Igor Mazurenko my opportunity to pull on my left hand so that it would not relax. So, if we are sure that everything is in order with the main team, then I can pull.

... you have some special training experience. Do you think it will be difficult for you to keep fit for another year?

- No, it’s absolutely not difficult. When the dates of the stages are known, you will already calculate the preparation process in advance and you can reach the desired level not only due to the number of trainings, but also their quality.

Excellent. Thank you for an exciting fight and wish you a successful recovery!