Rustemi Kreshnik (Albanian: Kreshnik Rrustemi; born April 29, 1984) was a Belgian kickboxer who competed 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.[1][2]
Career
Early career (2003–2008)
Kreshnik was born in the city of Peć 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.[3]
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 (and so far only appearance for the organization) on February 24, 2006, at a small event in Tournai, France, where he faced Souleimane Konate for the World Full Contact Association (WFCA) Benelux Heavyweight (-95 kg/209 lb) 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 (although he had first fought and won on an It's Showtime card back in 2005).[4] 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 Fights at the Border presents: It's Showtime 2009 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 was then expected to fight at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2011 in Nanjing Final 16 on October 29, 2011.[9][10] However, the event was cancelled due to the promotion experiencing severe financial problems.[11]
He was initially scheduled to face the legendary Jérôme Le Banner at the June 30, 2012 Music Hall & BFN Group present: It's Showtime 57 & 58,[15][16] but the Frenchman was forced to pull out due to contract issues[17] and Kreshnik was instead given a rematch with Mourad Bouzidi.[18] He lost by stoppage once again, this time suffering a horrific broken nose from a Bouzidi knee knockout in round two.[19][20]