Gzim Selmani, a former WWE and NXT tag team champion, is ready to make his mark on the BKFC world, and is ready for everybody — including the new BKFC heavyweight champ.
Selmani makes his long-awaited promotional debut this Saturday at BKFC Newcastle against Daniel Curtin. Prior to his WWE run as one-half of the Authors of Pain tag team, Selmani was an up-and-coming talent competing for the likes of Bellator and BAMMA, doing so before the age of 20, where he compiled a 4-2 pro MMA record.
It was assumed Selmani would compete at KnuckleMania 6 earlier this year, but the promotion held off on his debut – which Selmani understood. In the main event, former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski stopped Ben Rothwell to capture the BKFC title. Selmani watched the fight and wasn’t surprised by how it went down.
“Yeah, it was a good fight,” Selmani told MMA Fighting. “It went like I thought it was going to go. I know Ben Rothwell was dangerous with his right hand, but that’s kind of what he counts on every fight, and Arlovski’s more in and out, throwing the combinations. And yeah, if you just wait for one punch, that’s what’s going to happen.
“It’s fighting. It’s kind of easy, so it went like I thought it was going to go and yeah, kudos to Andrei Arlovski. After what he’s been going through with his medical battles, his personal life, it’s amazing seeing a legend in the fight game conquer a sport like this
“All due respect, but if we face in the future, it won’t go like that.”
Without a BKFC bout under his belt just yet, and with Arlovski carrying a massive experience advantage, Selmani was asked why things would be different if he shared the BKFC squared circle with “The Pitbull.”
“You know, I don’t fight like Ben Rothwell waiting for one punch,” Selmani explained. “I’m a fighter that goes in there and in and out, throws combinations, hard, hard hitting, and, yeah, I’m a completely different fighter than Ben Rothwell, so wouldn’t go like this [other] fighter.”
Since BKFC signed Selmani, no one has put it over more than the biggest start in UFC history, and current BKFC co-owner Conor McGregor.
McGregor has made it a point to promote Selmani joining the promotion, and his upcoming fight with a series of social media posts and comments to make sure fans are ready for what they are about to see.
“The Albanian Psycho” can’t help but be thrilled with the type of hype he’s getting from McGregor, and he hopes to make sure that it’s not wasted when he faces Curtin this Saturday, who also makes his BKFC debut.
“It’s always good seeing the boss support you like this, and he knows what I’m capable of,” Selmani said. “He knows my fight career before WWE and he knows how I’m training right now. He keeps an eye out and he keeps in check, so he knows what I’m capable of and what I’m doing in training camp, what I’m doing to sparring partners, and he’s very excited.
“He’s very excited and he’s, at the end of the day, he’s a businessman and he knows what he’s got in his hands with me. So, yeah, it’s normal that he’s going to push it a little bit more than a different fighter.”
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