Valdrin Vatnikaj

Valdrin Vatnikaj (born 28 September 1988) is an Albanian-Belgian kickboxer who competes in the lightweight and welterweight divisions. In 2009, he won the WFCA European Championship before becoming a world champion in 2010 by taking the Kombat League 63.503 kg/140 lb world title.

Career Vatnikaj is a training partner of Albert Kraus and Rico Verhoeven at the SuperPro Sportcenter Zevenbergen in Zevenbergen, Netherlands. He became the WFCA European Champion in 2009 and won the Kombat League 63.503 kg/140 lb world title the following year.

He challenged Jarkko Jussila for his WAKO Pro European Full Contact Light Welterweight (-64.5 kg/142 lb) Championship at Fight Festival 30 in Helsinki, Finland on 12 March 2011, losing a unanimous decision after ten, two-minute rounds. Vatnikaj hit Jussila with lightning fast counterstrikes throughout the fight, but the Finn's constant pressure and reach advantage was too much for him in the end.

After fighting on the European circuit for a number of years, Vatnikaj debuted on kickboxing's biggest stage, K-1, when he faced off with flashy karateka Kizaemon Saiga in a non-tournament bout at the K-1 World MAX 2011 -70kg Japan Tournament Final in Osaka, Japan on 25 September 2011. Saiga's kicks made the difference in an otherwise uneventful fight as the Japanese fighter cruised to a unanimous decision win.

He knocked out Emil Kerimov via second round left hook at MaxPain in Genk, Belgium on 10 February 2012.

Vatkinaj was a competitor in the A1 World Combat Cup's 32-man 63.5 kg/140 lb tournament held throughout 2012. After knocking out Antony Plouvier at the tournament's opening round in Genk, Belgium on 10 March, he then outpointed Mansour Yaqubi in the second round in Eindhoven, Netherlands on 7 April to book his place at the finals, featuring the eight remaining fighters and held in Eindhoven on 22 September. He took a decision win over Redouane Boukerch in the quarter-finals but lost to Papuna Margvelashvili by the same method in the semis.

Replacing Rachid Boumalek on short notice, he entered the Thai Fight 2012 67 kg/147 lb Tournament and faced the eventual tournament winner Singmanee Kaewsamrit in the quarter-finals in Bangkok, Thailand on 23 October 2012. Vatnikaj opened strong in the first round, connecting with a sweep and some clean punches, but things soon became one way traffic for the Thai in the second round. Singmanee landed two rounds of brutal unanswered body and leg kicks to take home the comfortable decision win.

He fought David Codron in a WKN European Full Contact Super Lightweight (-66.7 kg/147 lb) title match in Pernes-les-Fontaines, France on 23 February 2013 and lost on points after ten, two minute rounds.

Championships and awards

Kickboxing Kombat League Kombat League World 63.503 kg/140 lb Championship World Full Contact Association WFCA European Championship

Kickboxing record