- What was your main purpose of your visit this time?
I came to Japan to watch DREAM.6. and see Satoshi Ishii, who is a Judo gold medalist of the Beijing Olympic.
- You couldn't see Ishii unfortunately.
No. I had been excited to train together, but unfortunately I couldn't see him. I'm looking forward to seeing him next time.
- Did you watch his performance in the Beijing Olympic?
No. I was in the U.S. during Beijing Olympic. The U.S. television broadcast a swimming race but not Judo.
- Did you know Ishii said he wanted to fight you?
Yes, I know. I think it's too soon for him to fight me. I'm very happy to train with him whenever he comes to Russia. I heard he said he has desire to be the strongest guy in the world. I think his ambition is too unrealistic to realize for now. He is young, so it's important to take his time to gain techniques, knowledge and experiences.
- You said you came here to watch DREAM. Have you watched DREAM before?
I have only watched a fight of Musashi because I often train with him. I got DVDs of previous events and I will watch all of them later.
- Tell me about your schedule.
I'm always ready to fight. I'm going to participate in the world tournament of Sambo in Nov.
- Who is your rival?
I have been told that my opponent would be Andrei Arlovski or Josh Barnett in the next Affliction. Both of them were the former UFC champions and I'm sure they are strong.
- Japanese fans are expected to see you fight in NYE in Japan again.
I want to fight in Japan again; however, I cannot control everything. God knows what will happen. Whether I fight or not in NYE depends on a negotiation between my manager and DREAM.
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