Rustemi Kreshnik ( sq, Kreshnik Rrustemi; born April 29, 1984) was a Belgian

kickboxer Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...

who competed in the

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...

division. Having moved to Belgium from

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

as a youngster, Kreshnik began training in

Muay Thai Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...

and kickboxing while working as a bouncer. He turned professional in 2003 and rose to prominence by claiming the Belgian and

Benelux The Benelux Union ( nl, Benelux Unie; french: Union Benelux; lb, Benelux-Unioun), also known as simply Benelux, is a politico-economic union and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighboring states in western Europe: B ...

titles before going on to become a

gatekeeper A gatekeeper is a person who controls access to something, for example via a city gate or bouncer, or more abstractly, controls who is granted access to a category or status. Gatekeepers assess who is "in or out", in the classic words of managem ...

in the It's Showtime promotion from 2009 until the organization's demise in 2012.

Career

Early career (2003–2008)

Kreshnik was born in the city of

Peć Peja (Definiteness, Indefinite Albanian language, Albanian Albanian morphology#Nouns (declension), form: ''Pejë'' ) or Peć ( sr-Cyrl, Пећ ) is the fourth largest List of cities and towns in Kosovo, city of Kosovo and seat of Peja Municipali ...

in the now disputed territory of

. He spent the first years of his life there and rather surprisingly his first love was skiing, not fighting. In 1998, he left Peć to live with his sister in the city of

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

in Belgium. Growing up in Belgium, after initially struggling with the language, he started training as a mechanic with his future seemingly in the auto trade industry. To supplant his income, he also worked nights at a local club that was no stranger to trouble. At one of these nights, he met his future trainers Peter Lamberts and Omar Bel Hadi who invited him to their Muay Thai club where he started training in the art. After fighting on a number of shows in Belgium and fast establishing himself as one of the top heavyweights in the country. he made his K-1 debut (and so far only appearance for the organization) on February 24, 2006, at a small event in

Tournai Tournai or Tournay ( ; ; nl, Doornik ; pcd, Tornai; wa, Tornè ; la, Tornacum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies southwest of Brussels on the river Scheldt. Tournai is part of Euromet ...

, France, where he faced Souleimane Konate for the World Full Contact Association (WFCA) Benelux Heavyweight (-95 kg/209 lb) Thaiboxing Championship, winning by stoppage. He held his title for little over a month, however, losing to Dutch-based Palestinian Mo Boubkhari in his next fight in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

. At the end of the year, Kreshnik overcame his biggest challenge yet when he defeated former K-1 fighter Naoufal Benazzouz at the ''Time for Action'' event across the border in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

It's Showtime (2009–2012)

It was the victory over Benazzouz that drew Rustemi to the fledgling It's Showtime organization who made him their fifth Belgian-based signing in September 2008 (although he had first fought and won on an It's Showtime card back in 2005). By signing to such a competitive organization, Rustemi would have the chance to face some of Europe's top fighters. He made his official promotional debut on February 8, 2009, at '' Fights at the Border presents: It's Showtime 2009'' in his home town of Antwerp, facing two time world champion

Mourad Bouzidi Mourad "The Silent Power" Bouzidi ( ar, مراد بوزيدي) (born November 23, 1984) is Dutch– Tunisian heavyweight kickboxer, fighting out of Dojo Kamakura/Team Aerts in The Hague, Netherlands. He is the current Dutch Heavyweight W.F.C ...

, and losing via stoppage due to a cut in the first round. He returned three months later to take on Christiano Delgado on the ''

It's Showtime 2009 Amsterdam This is a list of events held and scheduled by the It's Showtime, a kickboxing and mixed martial arts organization based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The list consists of all the official It's Showtime events. The first event, It's Showtime - It's ...

supercard In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

at the

Amsterdam Arena The Johan Cruyff Arena ( nl, Johan Cruijff Arena ; officially stylised as Johan Cruijff ArenA) is the main stadium of the Dutch capital city of Amsterdam and the home stadium of football club AFC Ajax since its opening. Built from 1993 to 1996 ...

, where he won by

technical knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

due to referee stoppage in the third round, but then dropped a decision to

Wendell Roche Wendell Roche (born August 22, 1970) is a Curaçaoan heavyweight kickboxer. Career Roche was born in Curaçao. On October 16, 2010, he took part in the first round of the Ultimate Glory 2010/11 World Series at ''Ultimate Glory 12'' where defeat ...

at ''

It's Showtime 2009 Budapest This is a list of events held and scheduled by the It's Showtime, a kickboxing and mixed martial arts organization based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The list consists of all the official It's Showtime events. The first event, It's Showtime - It's ...

'' on August 29, 2009. On October 29, 2009, he scored the biggest victory of his career by defeating

Rico Verhoeven Ricardo Verhoeven (born 10 April 1989) is a Dutch professional kickboxer who currently competes in the heavyweight division of GLORY, where he is the reigning Glory Heavyweight Champion. A professional since 2004, he also competed in the K-1, ...

at ''

It's Showtime 2009 Lommel This is a list of events held and scheduled by the It's Showtime, a kickboxing and mixed martial arts organization based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The list consists of all the official It's Showtime events. The first event, It's Showtime - It's ...

''. The bout was scored a draw after the regulation three rounds, but Kreshnik was given the nod by the judges after a close extension round. He then followed this up with another points win over

Tomáš Hron Tomáš Hron (born July 25, 1981) is a Czech kickboxer who has fought for the K-1, It's Showtime and SUPERKOMBAT promotions. Former Kings of The Ring, WKA and WKN champion and current Kings of The Ring heavyweight world champion. Career He w ...

at ''

It's Showtime 2010 Amsterdam This is a list of events held and scheduled by the It's Showtime, a kickboxing and mixed martial arts organization based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The list consists of all the official It's Showtime events. The first event, It's Showtime - It's ...

'' on May 29, 2010, before stepping up to face the reigning It's Showtime Heavyweight Champion

Hesdy Gerges Hesdy Gerges (born February 20, 1984) is a Dutch kickboxer and mixed martial artist, fighting out of the Vos Gym in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He held the It's Showtime World Heavyweight title between 2010 and 2012. Gerges has competed in the K-1 ...

in a non-title affair at '' Fightingstars presents: It's Showtime 2010'' in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

, Netherlands on September 12, 2010. Gerges was simply too good, however, and stopped Kreshnik with low kicks in the second round. Following this defeat, Kreshnik decided to move down to the 95 kg/209 lb weight class and debuted in this division against former amateur standout

Nenad Pagonis Nenad Pagonis ( sr-cyr, Ненад Пагонис; born 28 July 1987) is a Serbian Cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight kickboxer fighting out of Mike's Gym in Amsterdam, Netherlands and Team Pagonis in Novi Sad, Serbia. In 2010 he became World ...

at '' Yiannis Evgenikos presents: It’s Showtime Athens'' on December 11, 2010, losing a

unanimous decision A unanimous decision (UD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and other sports involving striking and submission in which all three judges agree on which fighter ...

. He then returned to the heavyweight division to take on Moises Baute at '' BFN Group & Music Hall presents: It's Showtime "Fast & Furious 70MAX"'' in Brussels on September 25, 2011, and won by

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

in round two. He was then expected to fight at the ''K-1 World Grand Prix 2011 in Nanjing Final 16'' on October 29, 2011. However, the event was cancelled due to the promotion experiencing severe financial problems. Kreshnik returned to the ring after eight months of inactivity with a first-round TKO of

Michael Duut Michael Duut (born 22 January 1990) is a light heavyweight kickboxer from the Netherlands. He is known for his aggressive fighting style. He is the 2017 Glory Light Heavyweight Contender Tournament Winner,fight of the year 2016 winner. He is ...

at '' Siam Gym Belgium presents: It's Showtime 56'' in

Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; vls, Kortryk or ''Kortrik''; french: Courtrai ; la, Cortoriacum), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Regio ...

, Belgium. He was initially scheduled to face the legendary

Jérôme Le Banner Jérôme Philippe Le Banner (; born December 26, 1972) is a French kickboxer, mixed martial artist, and professional wrestler. Le Banner fought for most of his career in K-1 and became known for his aggressive fighting style and knockout power. ...

at the June 30, 2012 '' Music Hall & BFN Group present: It's Showtime 57 & 58'', but the Frenchman was forced to pull out due to contract issues and Kreshnik was instead given a rematch with Mourad Bouzidi. He lost by stoppage once again, this time suffering a horrific broken nose from a Bouzidi knee knockout in round two.

Recent career (2013–present)

After eighteen months of inactivity following It's Showtime's buyout and subsequent closure by Glory, Kreshnik made his return to the ring at FFC10: Rodriguez vs. Batzelas in

Skopje Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...

, Macedonia on December 13, 2013, taking a unanimous decision over Dino Belošević. He was scheduled to fight at the SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix I 2015 in Ploiești, Romania on 7 March 2015 but pulled out for unknown reasons. He was scheduled to fight at the SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix 2015 Final Elimination in

Milan, Italy Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 ...

on 2 October 2015 but pulled out due to injury leaving Raul Cătinaș without opponent and out of the event. Kreshnik appeared in the videoclip Street Credibility by the Belgian rapper CHG Unfadable.

Championships and awards

Kickboxing

*World Full Contact Association **WFCA European Super Heavyweight (+95 kg/+209 lb) K1 Championship **WFCA Belgian Heavyweight (-95 kg/209 lb) Thaiboxing Championship **WFCA Benelux Heavyweight (-95 kg/209 lb) Thaiboxing Championship

Kickboxing record

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Ismael Londt Ismael Londt (born 12 July 1985) is a Surinamese-Dutch kickboxer signed to the ONE Championship. He is the former SUPERKOMBAT Heavyweight Champion, and two time SUPERKOMBAT Grand Prix Heavyweight tournament winner. He was ranked as a top ten h ...

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Eindhoven, Netherlands Eindhoven () is a city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands, located in the southern Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant of which it is its largest. With a population of 238,326 on 1 ...

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Tatneft Arena TatNeft Arena ( ru: Татнефть-Арена) is an indoor sporting arena located in Kazan, Russia. The capacity of the arena is 10,000 and was opened in 2005. The arena is home to Ak Bars Kazan of the Kontinental Hockey League. Tatneft Cup E ...

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Kazan, Russia Kazan ( ; rus, Казань, p=kɐˈzanʲ; tt-Cyrl, Казан, ''Qazan'', IPA: ɑzan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka rivers, covering an ...

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Skopje, Macedonia Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; ...

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Kortrijk, Belgium Kortrijk ( , ; vls, Kortryk or ''Kortrik''; french: Courtrai ; la, Cortoriacum), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It is the capital and larges ...

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Athens, Greece Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

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Tilburg, Netherlands Tilburg () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, in the southern province of North Brabant. With a population of 222,601 (1 July 2021), it is the second-largest city or municipality in North Brabant after Eindhoven and the seventh-larg ...

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Zwevegem, Belgium Zwevegem () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Heestert, Moen, Otegem, Sint-Denijs and Zwevegem. On January 1, 2019, Zwevegem had a total population of 24,648. The total ar ...

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Deurne, Belgium Deurne () is the second largest district of the municipality of Antwerp, Belgium, (right after the Antwerp town district) and has 80.781 inhabitants (2021). Deurne is best known for its green environment with the biggest park in Antwerp Rivieren ...

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kreshnik, Rustemi 1984 births Living people Albanian male kickboxers Kosovan male kickboxers Belgian male kickboxers Heavyweight kickboxers Albanian Muay Thai practitioners Belgian Muay Thai practitioners Kosovo Albanians Albanian emigrants to Belgium Kosovan emigrants to Belgium Sportspeople from Antwerp Sportspeople from Peja