Valdrin Vatnikaj


Valdrin Vatnikaj 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 Championship at Fight Festival 30 in Helsinki, Finland on March 12, 2011, losing a unanimous decision after ten, two-minute rounds. Vatnikaj hit Jussila with lighting 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 September 25, 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 February 10, 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 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.
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.
He fought David Codron in a WKN European Full Contact Super Lightweight title match in Pernes-les-Fontaines, France on February 23, 2013 and lost on points after ten, two minute rounds.

Championships and awards

Kickboxing