Rustemi Kreshnik is an Albanian-Belgian kickboxer who competes in the heavyweight division. Having moved to Belgium from Kosovo as a youngster, Kreshnik began training in Muay Thai and kickboxing while working as a bouncer. He turned professional in 2003 and rose to prominence by claiming the Belgian and Benelux titles before going on to become a gatekeeper 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 ofPeć in the now disputed territory of Kosovo. 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 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 on February 24, 2006 at a small event in Tournai, France, where he faced Souleimane Konate for the World Full Contact Association Benelux Heavyweight 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. 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.
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. 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 ' in his home town of Antwerp, facing two time world champion Mourad Bouzidi, 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 Amsterdamsupercard at the Amsterdam Arena, where he won by technical knockout due to referee stoppage in the third round, but then dropped a decision to Wendell Roche at It's Showtime 2009 Budapest on August 29, 2009. On October 29, 2009, he scored the biggest victory of his career by defeating Rico Verhoeven at It's Showtime 2009 Lommel. 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 at It's Showtime 2010 Amsterdam on May 29, 2010 before stepping up to face the reigning It's Showtime Heavyweight ChampionHesdy Gerges in a non-title affair at ' in Amsterdam, 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 at ' on December 11, 2010, losing a unanimous decision. He then returned to the heavyweight division to take on Moisés Baute at ' in Brussels on September 25, 2011 and won by knockout 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 at ' in Kortrijk, Belgium. He was initially scheduled to face the legendary Jérôme Le Banner at the June 30, 2012 ', 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.
