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Valdrin Vatnikaj

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Valdrin Vatnikaj
Born (1988-09-28) September 28, 1988 (age 36)
Other namesThe Patriot
NationalityAlbanian
Belgian
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight63.0 kg (138.9 lb; 9.92 st)
DivisionLightweight
Welterweight
StyleKickboxing • Muay Thai
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofZevenbergen, Netherlands
TeamSuperPro Sportcenter Zevenbergen
Years active2008–present
Kickboxing record
Total76
Wins60
Losses13
Draws3
Last updated on: February 23, 2013

Valdrin Vatnikaj (born September 28, 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

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Vatnikaj is a training partner of Albert Kraus and Rico Verhoeven at the SuperPro Sportcenter Zevenbergen in Zevenbergen, Netherlands.[1] He became the WFCA European Champion in 2009 and won the Kombat League 63.503 kg/140 lb world title the following year.[2]

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 March 12, 2011, losing a unanimous decision after ten, two-minute rounds.[3] 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.[4]

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 September 25, 2011.[5] Saiga's kicks made the difference in an otherwise uneventful fight as the Japanese fighter cruised to a unanimous decision win.[6][7]

He knocked out Emil Kerimov via second round left hook at MaxPain in Genk, Belgium on February 10, 2012.[8]

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 March 10, he then outpointed Mansour Yaqubi in the second round in Eindhoven, Netherlands on April 7 to book his place at the finals, featuring the eight remaining fighters and held in Eindhoven on September 22. He took a decision win over Redouane Boukerch in the quarter-finals but lost to Papuna Margvelashvili by the same method in the semis.[9][10][11]

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 October 23, 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.[12][13][14]

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 February 23, 2013 and lost on points after ten, two minute rounds.[15][16]

Championships and awards

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Kickboxing

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

Kickboxing record

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Kickboxing record
60 wins, 13 losses, 3 draws[17]
Date Result Opponent Event Location Method Round Time
2013-03-16 Loss France Mohamed Galaoui Explosion Fight Night 7 Châteauroux, France Decision 3 3:00
2013-02-23 Loss France David Codron World GBC Tour Pernes-les-Fontaines, France Decision 10 2:00
For the WKN European Full Contact Super Lightweight (-66.7 kg/147 lb) Championship.
2012-10-23 Loss Thailand Singmanee Kaewsamrit Thai Fight 2012 67 kg/147 lb Tournament, Quarter Finals Bangkok, Thailand Decision 3 3:00
2012-09-22 Loss Georgia (country) Papuna Margvelashvili A1 World Combat Cup 63.5 kg/140 lb Tournament, Semi Finals Eindhoven, Netherlands Decision 3 3:00
2012-09-22 Win Morocco Redouane Boukerch A1 World Combat Cup 63.5 kg/140 lb Tournament, Quarter Finals Eindhoven, Netherlands Decision 3 3:00
2012-04-07 Win Iran Mansour Yaqubi A1 World Combat Cup 63.5 kg/140 lb Tournament, Second Round Eindhoven, Netherlands Decision 3 3:00
2012-03-10 Win France Antony Plouvier A1 World Combat Cup 63.5 kg/140 lb Tournament, First Round Genk, Belgium KO
2012-02-10 Win Azerbaijan Emil Kerimov MaxPain Genk, Belgium KO (left hook) 2
2011-10-22 Loss Belarus Yuri Zhukovskiy W5 Grand Prix Moscow, Russia Decision (unanimous) 3 3:00
2011-09-25 Loss Japan Kizaemon Saiga K-1 World MAX 2011 -70kg Japan Tournament Final Osaka, Japan Decision (unanimous) 3 3:00
2011-03-12 Loss Finland Jarkko Jussila Fight Festival 30 Helsinki, Finland Decision (unanimous) 10 2:00
For the WAKO Pro European Full Contact Light Welterweight (-64.5 kg/142 lb) Championship.
2010-11-20 Loss Romania Ionuţ Atodiresei 2010 Local Kombat Sibiu Sibiu, Romania Decision 3 3:00
2010-10-31 Loss Switzerland David Da Costa Decision 5 3:00
2008-08-08 Win Italy Alessandro Alias Sardinia, Italy KO (right cross) 1 3:00
Legend:   Win   Loss   Draw/No contest   Notes

References

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  1. ^ Official K-1 profile
  2. ^ Fight Life profile
  3. ^ J. JUSSILA (FINLAND) KEEPS HIS FC EUROPEAN TITLE KG -64,50
  4. ^ Fight Festival 30: Shlemenko by KO, Vänttinen Stops Dewees
  5. ^ K-1 Announces Participants and Matchups for K-1 MAX 2011 -70kg Japan Tournament
  6. ^ K-1 MAX 70kg Japan Tournament Live Results
  7. ^ K-1 World MAX Japan
  8. ^ Fight event Maxpain 10/02/12
  9. ^ Aside From The Big Players, There's Tons Of Kickfighting This Month
  10. ^ 8 Man 63.5kg Tournament Tomorrow In Holland
  11. ^ Pietje Doorje Wins 32 Man 63.5kg Tournament
  12. ^ Buakaw Back At Thai Fight On October 23
  13. ^ Thai Fight Tournament Tomorrow: Buakaw vs. Mauro Serra
  14. ^ Thai Fight 2012 Live Results
  15. ^ World GBC Tour 2013 – WKN Kickboxing France February 23
  16. ^ World GBC Tour 2013 Results WKN Kickboxing France
  17. ^ "2012 K-1 MUAY THAI fight – Valdrin Vatnikaj vs Singmanee Kaewsamrit – full fight Video". allthebestfights.com. 23 October 2012. Retrieved 2012-12-12.
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