Dmitry, your viewers will watch your match with Dmitry Silaev with particular interest: for Silaev this is the debut in Top 8. Are you glad that you came across just such an opponent?

- Definitely, the fight with Dmitry will be good and beautiful. We fought with him for a long time, but from that time he grew up, and mee too. It will be interesting both for the audience and for us. At the table we are rivals, and outside of it we are very good friends, so this moment upset me a little.

If not Silaev, then whom would you like to see as your rival in the first stage?

- If not for Dmitry, then for the first round it would be good to pull Krasimir. I’ve met him more than once, I know how he pulls. For the first stage, this would be an ideal option.

What do you expect from Dmitry? What a fight? What do you think he can show you?

- From Dmitry I expect a good worthy fight. I am also preparing for a beautiful spectacular duel. I think he will still attack with toproll and emphasize with the side pressure, as he pulled before. I will use a similar technique, so the strongest will win.

How do you prepare for the fight? How many times a week do you train? What is the basis of training - endurance, strength, technique?

- At the moment I train three times a week for one and a half to two hours of training. I do not do basic exercises, I do not want to gain weight. I weigh 125 kg - this is my optimal combat weight.

You are a little bigger than Silaev in anthropometry, but his sparring partner is Laletin. Do you think your sizes remain your advantage, or does Dmitry already know how to deal with them?

- According to anthropometry Dima is not far from me. He has really long arms. But he understands what to expect from me, and I know all about him.

Do you think the pairs in your category are evenly distributed? Who will be most interesting to watch?

- Of course, it will be interesting to look at each match, but I think the most intriguing will be Levan and Dave. They have not pulled yet, it will be interesting not only for the audience, but also for us.

What about the weight of 95 kg? Where does John Brzenk finish?

- I think John will fight in the finals.

We often see you experimenting in the kitchen. What inspires you to cook? Share your favorite recipe.

- Yes, I like to cook, this is my hobby. I like to cook meat, kebabs, smoke. I make homemade dumplings, manty. We try not to buy in stores, because the family is large, and we must pay big attention to quality. When you choose products by yourself and cook it, you are sure that it will contain everything that is needed for the body. I don’t have a favorite recipe. The main thing is to have a piece of meat. I will always find what to make of it.