Fedor: I work with my head. Everything I do needs to be received by my body. You cannot gorge yourself and then sit on a toilet for half a day. You need to eat a certain way so that your body accepts it the right way. And I train the same way: so that the work would produce results. Besides, I don't have a problem with conditioning.

Did you ever meet a fighter that works more during training?

Fedor: It's possible, youth today works even harder. But the time spent in the gym is not the most important. What important, is how a person can use the skills and techniques.

At some point you stopped including weights altogether in your training. Why?

Fedor: It was excessive. I have my own methods.

Which fight took you the most time to train for?

Fedor: Preparation for each fight takes about two months. Except for the fight with Mirko Cro Cop, I spent more time. I went to Holland to study Thai Boxing. To hang in the fight, I needed to become a more universal fighter in a short time.

Mirko really deserves an exclusive approach?

Fedor: Definitely! This fighter was second and third in the world rating, appeared in the finals of K-1 Gran Pri.

What's his strength?

Fedor: He can hammer you with his left kick so hard that any opponent will be knocked out cold. His hands are also in order, moves around the ring perfectly. But the most important thing was to find an antidote to his kicks.

So you learned Thai Boxing. Did you study any other martial arts?

Fedor: Regular boxing. All the other martial arts I learned before Mirko's fight.

Coach of CSKA Basketball team - Ettore Messina once said: "I physically have a sense of fear of losing - I even lose my breath..." Do you experience this?

Fedor: No. Before my fight, I don't think at all about a victory or defeat. I just come out and try to outwork my opponent. Outwit him.

Were there fights that you won by luck?

Fedor: It was hard during President's cup in St Petersburg. During the beginning of the fight I was cut. It would've been sad to lose because of this. Especially before President Putin, who just entered the arena. But everything turned out OK.

You won?

Fedor: By submission.

In November in Prague Emelianenko became a World Champion in Sambo for the fourth time. In fact he only spent over a minute to do so. Uzbek Rustamov, after learning that he will face Fedor in quarter finals quit the competition. The same happenned with Ukrainian Begeza. Only Bulgarian Dimitrov did not fear Emelianenko. But only lasted 40 seconds in semifinal. Fedor did not hide his surprise: "For the first time I was met with the total refusal by my opponents to come out on the mat".