Valdrin Istrefi

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.

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.

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.

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.

His next fight came on July 19, 2018, against Daniel Gallemore at PFL 4 (2018). Istrefi won the fight via a second-round TKO.

His next fight came on June 6, 2019, against Ali Isaev at PFL 3 (2019). Istrefi lost the fight via a Unanimous Decision.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

• Westside Fighting Challenge
• WSFC Heavyweight Champion (One time)
• One successful title defense
• Cage Fight Series
• Cage Fight Series Heavyweight Champion (One time; former)

Mixed martial arts record

|- |Win |align=center|15–5 |Daniel Dörrer |TKO (punches) |Westside Fighting Challenge 7 | |align=center|1 |align=center|1:00 |Hohenems, Austria | |- |Loss |align=center|14–5 |Pavel Dailidko |TKO (elbows and punches) |Brave CF 81 | |align=center|2 |align=center|1:37 |Ljubljana, Slovenia | |- |Win |align=center|14–4 |Nicolas Đurđević |TKO (punches) |Cage Fight Series 14 | |align=center|3 |align=center|2:11 |Graz, Austria | |- |Loss |align=center|13–4 |Muhammed Dereese |TKO (punches) |PFL 6 (2019) | |align=center|1 |align=center|2:06 |Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|13–3 |Ali Isaev |Decision (unanimous) |PFL 3 (2019) | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Uniondale, New York, United States | |- |Win |align=center|13–2 |Daniel Gallemore |TKO (leg kicks) |PFL 4 (2018) | |align=center|2 |align=center|1:42 |Uniondale, New York, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|12–2 |Jared Rosholt |Decision (unanimous) |PFL 1 (2018) | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |New York City, New York, United States | |- |Win |align=center|12–1 |Evgeny Bova |Decision (unanimous) |Westside Fighting Challenge 5 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Dornbirn, Austria | |- |Win |align=center|11–1 |Marko Igrc |TKO (punches) |Westside Fighting Challenge 4 | |align=center|2 |align=center|2:38 |Dornbirn, Austria | |- |Win |align=center|10–1 |Vladimir Shemarov |TKO (strikes) |Swiss Las Vegas Fusion 2016 | |align=center|2 |align=center|3:06 |Basel, Switzerland | |- |Win |align=center|9–1 |Stefan Traunmuller |Decision (unanimous) |Aggrelin 10 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Munich, Germany | |- |Win |align=center|8–1 |Frank Kortz |TKO (strikes) |Swiss Las Vegas Fusion | |align=center|1 |align=center|4:59 |Spreitenbach, Switzerland | |- |Loss |align=center|7–1 |Björn Schmiedeberg |Decision (unanimous) |German MMA Championship 6 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Castrop-Rauxel, Germany | |- |Win |align=center|7–0 |Daniel Weissenboeck |TKO (punches) |Liechtensteiner Benefit Fight Night 2014 | |align=center|1 |align=center|1:10 |Vaduz, Liechtenstein | |- |Win |align=center|6–0 |Viktor Daniel |Submission (americana) |Age Of Cage 2: Return Of The Cage | |align=center|2 |align=center|4:21 |Stuttgart, Germany | |- |Win |align=center|5–0 |Jürgen Dolch |Submission (forearm choke) |Liechtensteiner Fight Night 2014 | |align=center|1 |align=center|2:58 |Vaduz, Liechtenstein | |- |Win |align=center|4–0 |Christian Danner |Submission (guillotine choke) |Cage XFC: Salzburger MMA Challenge | |align=center|1 |align=center|0:46 |Wals-Siezenheim, Austria | |- |Win |align=center|3–0 |Lars Rauchbach |TKO (punches) |FFC: Cage Fight Night 2 | |align=center|1 |align=center|4:13 |Köthen, Germany | |- |Win |align=center|2–0 |Alden Hadžić |Submission (armbar) |BBO Fight Night | |align=center|1 |align=center|N/A |Austria | |- |Win |align=center|1–0 |Thorsten Thiel |Submission (rear-naked choke) |Shooto Germany: Stuttgart | |align=center|2 |align=center|1:09 |Stuttgart, Germany |

See also

• List of male mixed martial artists

References

External links