The following interview was conducted by the Korean MMA site MFight with Fedor Emelianenko:

Q:You will be one of the carriers of the Olympic torch for the Beijing Olympics in St. Petersburg on April 5. How does it feel to represent Russia?
A:(Fedor):I feel very good. I was chosen as one of 5 carriers of the torch. I'm very happy and proud.
(Finkelstein): Many other famous Russian athletes will be carrying the torch including world champion boxer Nikolai Valuev.

Q: Do you know which course you'll be running and how long?
A: I don't know yet. There will be a meeting on this on April 3. I'll find out how long I'll be running then.

Q: It's said that you have to be quite famous in Russia to represent the country as the carrier of the Olympic torch. I know it'd be a little awkward for you to answer, but how popular are you in Russia? Do a lot of people recognize you?
A: A lot of people recognize me. People recognize me on the streets but some people just pass by thinking it's just someone who looks like me (laughs.) I sign a lot of autographs. I don't know any statistic regarding my popularity so it'd be hard to tell you exactly how popular I am.

Q: You once said that you respect Alexander Karelin. How popular or influential are you compared to him? People in Korea are curious about your popularity in Russia.
A: I respect Alexander Karelin but I don't think I can compare myself to him. We are in different fields. Aleksander Karelin is Aleksander Karelin, and I am myself. I just want to work hard on what's put in front of me.

Q: You held a seminar in early March in the Netherlands. How did it go?
A: We had a seminar in the Netherlands and a lot of famous fighters were there. There were a lot of people who became interested in the sport while working out at the gym. The seminar was held in a very warm and laid back atmosphere. I really enjoyed it.

Q: Remy Bonjasky, Ernesto Hoost, and Peter Aerts were there as guests. There's a photo circulating around of you putting on a submission on them. What did you guys talk about?
A: We always say hi and talk to each other when we meet. We asked each other how they were doing and talked about training together. They asked me to show them some submissions so I demonstrated some on them.

Q: A lot of fighters seem to be challenging you these days. Kimbo Slice, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and Randy Couture are a few.
A: I fought Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira twice and beat him both times. I heard he became the UFC Champion. I'm not under contract with the UFC so I won't be able to fight him. Randy Couture is a very popular fighter who's very tough. I respect him very much and like him as a person. I think I'll have the opportunity to meet him again in the future.