Valdrin Istrefi
| Valdrin Istrefi | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 3, 1991 Struga, SR Macedonia, Yugoslavia |
| Native name | Валдрин Истрефи |
| Other names | The Beast |
| Nationality | Macedonian, Liechtensteiner |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 244 lb (111 kg; 17 st 6 lb) |
| Division |
|
| Reach | 80 in (203 cm)[1] |
| Fighting out of | St. Gallen, Switzerland |
| Team | Planet Eater |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 20 |
| Wins | 15 |
| By knockout | 9 |
| By submission | 4 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Losses | 5 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Valdrin Istrefi (Macedonian: Валдрин Истрефи; born March 3, 1991) is a Macedonian-Liechtensteiner professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division. He is a former Westside Fighting Challenge and Cage Fight Series Heavyweight Champion. He has previously competed on Brave CF, and Professional Fighters League (PFL).
Professional career
Early career
Istrefi made his professional debut on May 18, 2013, against Thorsten Thiel. Istrefi won the fight via a second-round submission.[2]
Westside Fighting Challenge
After accumulating a career record of 10–1, Istrefi made his debut under Austrian federation Westside Fighting Challenge on November 26, 2016, against Marko Igrc. Istrefi won the fight via a second-round TKO.[3]
Westside Fighting Challenge Heavyweight Champion
Istrefi faced Evgeny Bova on November 25, 2017, for the vacant Westside Fighting Challenge Heavyweight Championship. Istrefi won the fight via a Unanimous Decision, winning his first career championship.[4]
Professional Fighters League
Istrefi made his debut under Professional Fighters League (PFL) on June 7, 2018, against Jared Rosholt at PFL 1 (2018). Istrefi lost the fight via a Unanimous Decision.[5]
His next fight came on July 19, 2018, against Daniel Gallemore at PFL 4 (2018). Istrefi won the fight via a second-round TKO.[6]
His next fight came on June 6, 2019, against Ali Isaev at PFL 3 (2019). Istrefi lost the fight via a Unanimous Decision.[7][8]
His final fight with the federation came on August 8, 2019, against Muhammed Dereese at PFL 6 (2019). Istrefi lost the fight via a first-round TKO.[9]
Cage Fight Series Heavyweight Champion
Following a four-year layoff, Istrefi returned to action on November 10, 2023, where he faced Nicolas Đurđević for the vacant Cage Fight Series Heavyweight Championship. Istrefi won the fight via a third-round TKO, winning his second career championship.[10]
Brave Combat Federation
Istrefi made his debut under Brave Combat Federation on April 20, 2024, against Pavel Dailidko. Istrefi lost the fight via a second-round TKO.[11]
Return to Westside Fighting Challenge
Istrefi returned to Westside Fighting Challenge on September 7, 2024, where he defended his Westside Fighting Challenge Heavyweight Championship for the first time since winning it seven years prior. He defended his championship against Daniel Dörrer. Istrefi won the fight via a first-round TKO.[12]
Failed Fight Nation Championship bout
Istrefi was scheduled to face Quentin Domingos in his Fight Nation Championship debut on November 29, 2025, however the fight was cancelled after Domingos suffered an injury during warmups.[13]
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
- Westside Fighting Challenge
- WSFC Heavyweight Champion (One time)
- One successful title defense
- WSFC Heavyweight Champion (One time)
- Cage Fight Series
- Cage Fight Series Heavyweight Champion (One time; former)
Mixed martial arts record
| 20 matches | 15 wins | 5 losses |
| By knockout | 9 | 2 |
| By submission | 4 | 0 |
| By decision | 2 | 3 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 15–5 | Daniel Dörrer | TKO (punches) | Westside Fighting Challenge 7 | September 7, 2024 | 1 | 1:00 | Hohenems, Austria | Retained the WSFC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Loss | 14–5 | Pavel Dailidko | TKO (elbows and punches) | Brave CF 81 | April 20, 2024 | 2 | 1:37 | Ljubljana, Slovenia | |
| Win | 14–4 | Nicolas Đurđević | TKO (punches) | Cage Fight Series 14 | November 10, 2023 | 3 | 2:11 | Graz, Austria | Won the vavant Cage Fight Series Heavyweight Championship. |
| Loss | 13–4 | Muhammed Dereese | TKO (punches) | PFL 6 (2019) | August 8, 2019 | 1 | 2:06 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Loss | 13–3 | Ali Isaev | Decision (unanimous) | PFL 3 (2019) | June 6, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Uniondale, New York, United States | |
| Win | 13–2 | Daniel Gallemore | TKO (leg kicks) | PFL 4 (2018) | July 19, 2018 | 2 | 1:42 | Uniondale, New York, United States | |
| Loss | 12–2 | Jared Rosholt | Decision (unanimous) | PFL 1 (2018) | June 7, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | New York City, New York, United States | |
| Win | 12–1 | Evgeny Bova | Decision (unanimous) | Westside Fighting Challenge 5 | November 25, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Dornbirn, Austria | Won the vacant WSFC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 11–1 | Marko Igrc | TKO (punches) | Westside Fighting Challenge 4 | November 26, 2016 | 2 | 2:38 | Dornbirn, Austria | |
| Win | 10–1 | Vladimir Shemarov | TKO (strikes) | Swiss Las Vegas Fusion 2016 | June 18, 2016 | 2 | 3:06 | Basel, Switzerland | |
| Win | 9–1 | Stefan Traunmuller | Decision (unanimous) | Aggrelin 10 | February 20, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Munich, Germany | |
| Win | 8–1 | Frank Kortz | TKO (strikes) | Swiss Las Vegas Fusion | December 5, 2015 | 1 | 4:59 | Spreitenbach, Switzerland | |
| Loss | 7–1 | Björn Schmiedeberg | Decision (unanimous) | German MMA Championship 6 | April 18, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Castrop-Rauxel, Germany | |
| Win | 7–0 | Daniel Weissenboeck | TKO (punches) | Liechtensteiner Benefit Fight Night 2014 | December 6, 2014 | 1 | 1:10 | Vaduz, Liechtenstein | |
| Win | 6–0 | Viktor Daniel | Submission (americana) | Age Of Cage 2: Return Of The Cage | July 19, 2014 | 2 | 4:21 | Stuttgart, Germany | |
| Win | 5–0 | Jürgen Dolch | Submission (forearm choke) | Liechtensteiner Fight Night 2014 | April 5, 2014 | 1 | 2:58 | Vaduz, Liechtenstein | |
| Win | 4–0 | Christian Danner | Submission (guillotine choke) | Cage XFC: Salzburger MMA Challenge | November 9, 2013 | 1 | 0:46 | Wals-Siezenheim, Austria | |
| Win | 3–0 | Lars Rauchbach | TKO (punches) | FFC: Cage Fight Night 2 | October 13, 2013 | 1 | 4:13 | Köthen, Germany | |
| Win | 2–0 | Alden Hadžić | Submission (armbar) | BBO Fight Night | September 7, 2013 | 1 | N/A | Austria | |
| Win | 1–0 | Thorsten Thiel | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Shooto Germany: Stuttgart | May 18, 2013 | 2 | 1:09 | Stuttgart, Germany | Heavyweight debut. |
See also
References
- ^ "Valdrin Istrefi ("The Beast") | MMA Fighter Page". Tapology.
- ^ "Shooto Germany - Stuttgart". Combat Registry. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 2026-02-05.
- ^ "POGLEDAJTE! Objavljena snimka WSFC meča Marko Igrc vs. Valdrin Istrefi". Pro Fight Store (in Croatian). 6 December 2016. Retrieved 2026-02-05.
- ^ "WSFC 5 - The Rise of Champions". Sherdog. 25 November 2017. Retrieved 2026-02-05.
- ^ MMA Fighting (8 June 2018). "#PFL1 results: Jared Rosholt def. Valdrin Istrefi via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-25, 29-28)". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 2026-02-05.
- ^ Shaun Al-Shatti (19 July 2018). "PFL 4 Results: Palmer vs. Tuerxun". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2026-02-05.
- ^ "Али Исаев уверенно победил Вальдрина Истрефи на PFL 3: 2019". Fight News Info (in Russian). 7 June 2019. Retrieved 2026-02-05.
- ^ Dan Doherty (6 June 2019). "PFL 3 2019 Results: Ali Isaev Dominates Valdrin Istrefi". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2026-02-05.
- ^ Jay Anderson (8 August 2019). "PFL 6 2019 Results: Muhammed DeReese Blitzkriegs Valdrin Istrefi". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2026-02-05.
- ^ Planet Eater (10 November 2023). "AND NEW!!! Valdrin Istrefi besiegt Nicolas Djurdjevic 🇨🇵 durch TKO in der 3. Runde und krönt sich zum neuen @cage_fight_series Champion im Heavyweigt". Facebook (in German). Retrieved 2026-02-05.
- ^ George Chung (25 April 2024). "Heavyweight Destroyer Pavel Dailidko on Collision Course for BRAVE CF Gold, President Mohammed Shahid makes it Official". Black Belt Magazine. Retrieved 2026-02-05.
- ^ "WSFC 7 - Unbreakable". Sherdog. 7 September 2024. Retrieved 2026-02-05.
- ^ FNC (29 November 2025). "Quentin Domingos suffered an injury during warm-up, and his fight with Valdrin Istrefi has been cancelled". Facebook. Retrieved 2026-02-05.