Valdrin Istrefi

Valdrin Istrefi (Macedonian: Валдрин Истрефи; born March 3, 1991) is a Macedonian-Liechtensteiner professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division. He is a former Westside Fighting Challenge and Cage Fight Series Heavyweight Champion. He has previously competed on Brave CF, and Professional Fighters League (PFL).

Professional career Early career Istrefi made his professional debut on May 18, 2013, against Thorsten Thiel. Istrefi won the fight via a second-round submission.

Westside Fighting Challenge After accumulating a career record of 10–1, Istrefi made his debut under Austrian federation Westside Fighting Challenge on November 26, 2016, against Marko Igrc. Istrefi won the fight via a second-round TKO.

Westside Fighting Challenge Heavyweight Champion Istrefi faced Evgeny Bova on November 25, 2017, for the vacant Westside Fighting Challenge Heavyweight Championship. Istrefi won the fight via a Unanimous Decision, winning his first career championship.

Professional Fighters League Istrefi made his debut under Professional Fighters League (PFL) on June 7, 2018, against Jared Rosholt at PFL 1 (2018). Istrefi lost the fight via a Unanimous Decision.

His next fight came on July 19, 2018, against Daniel Gallemore at PFL 4 (2018). Istrefi won the fight via a second-round TKO.

His next fight came on June 6, 2019, against Ali Isaev at PFL 3 (2019). Istrefi lost the fight via a Unanimous Decision.

His final fight with the federation came on August 8, 2019, against Muhammed Dereese at PFL 6 (2019). Istrefi lost the fight via a first-round TKO.

Cage Fight Series Heavyweight Champion Following a four-year layoff, Istrefi returned to action on November 10, 2023, where he faced Nicolas Đurđević for the vacant Cage Fight Series Heavyweight Championship. Istrefi won the fight via a third-round TKO, winning his second career championship.

Brave Combat Federation Istrefi made his debut under Brave Combat Federation on April 20, 2024, against Pavel Dailidko. Istrefi lost the fight via a second-round TKO.

Return to Westside Fighting Challenge Istrefi returned to Westside Fighting Challenge on September 7, 2024, where he defended his Westside Fighting Challenge Heavyweight Championship for the first time since winning it seven years prior. He defended his championship against Daniel Dörrer. Istrefi won the fight via a first-round TKO.

Fight Nation Championship Istrefi was scheduled to face Quentin Domingos in his Fight Nation Championship debut on November 29, 2025, however the fight was cancelled after Domingos suffered an injury during warmups.

His debut finally came a year and a half after his last bout on April 11, 2026, against Michał Andryszak. Istrefi lost the fight via a first-round TKO.

Championships and accomplishments Mixed martial arts Westside Fighting Challenge WSFC Heavyweight Champion (One time) One successful title defense Cage Fight Series Cage Fight Series Heavyweight Champion (One time; former)

Mixed martial arts record Loss

Michał Andryszak TKO (punches) Fight Nation Championship 29

Ljubljana, Slovenia Win

Daniel Dörrer TKO (punches) Westside Fighting Challenge 7

Hohenems, Austria Loss

Pavel Dailidko TKO (elbows and punches) Brave CF 81

Ljubljana, Slovenia Win

Nicolas Đurđević TKO (punches) Cage Fight Series 14

Graz, Austria Loss

Muhammed Dereese TKO (punches) PFL 6 (2019)

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Loss

Ali Isaev Decision (unanimous) PFL 3 (2019)

Uniondale, New York, United States Win

Daniel Gallemore TKO (leg kicks) PFL 4 (2018)

Uniondale, New York, United States Loss

Jared Rosholt Decision (unanimous) PFL 1 (2018)

New York City, New York, United States Win

Evgeny Bova Decision (unanimous) Westside Fighting Challenge 5

Dornbirn, Austria Win

Marko Igrc TKO (punches) Westside Fighting Challenge 4

Dornbirn, Austria Win

Vladimir Shemarov TKO (strikes) Swiss Las Vegas Fusion 2016

Basel, Switzerland Win

Stefan Traunmuller Decision (unanimous) Aggrelin 10

Munich, Germany Win

Frank Kortz TKO (strikes) Swiss Las Vegas Fusion

Spreitenbach, Switzerland Loss

Björn Schmiedeberg Decision (unanimous) German MMA Championship 6

Castrop-Rauxel, Germany Win

Daniel Weissenboeck TKO (punches) Liechtensteiner Benefit Fight Night 2014

Vaduz, Liechtenstein Win

Viktor Daniel Submission (americana) Age Of Cage 2: Return Of The Cage

Stuttgart, Germany Win

Jürgen Dolch Submission (forearm choke) Liechtensteiner Fight Night 2014

Vaduz, Liechtenstein Win

Christian Danner Submission (guillotine choke) Cage XFC: Salzburger MMA Challenge

Wals-Siezenheim, Austria Win

Lars Rauchbach TKO (punches) FFC: Cage Fight Night 2

Köthen, Germany Win

Alden Hadžić Submission (armbar) BBO Fight Night

Austria Win

Thorsten Thiel Submission (rear-naked choke) Shooto Germany: Stuttgart

Stuttgart, Germany