After nearly a decade with WWE, Gzim Selmani knows he has found a new home in the BKFC.

For years, fans knew Selmani as 'Rezar,' a staple of the WWE tag team Authors of Pain. The Albanian's partnership with 'Akam' led to a WWE Raw and NXT Tag Team Championship.

But following a bitter divorce from the organization, Selmani made the shocking decision to sign with the BKFC in 2025, trading in all his gear for nothing but bare fists and bloodlust.

Just like that, 'Rezar' became 'The Albanian Psycho.'

The move seemed like a complete 180 for some, but to Selmani, it allowed him to return to his roots.

"I don't feel pressure fighting," Selmani told KO on SI. "For me, it's just another day in the office, and I love it. I love the excitement of it, the adrenaline, the one-versus-one. One has to go down and one has to win. I love it."

Gzim Selmani KOs Dan Curtin in BKFC debut

Selmani was scheduled to make his debut at Knucklemania VI, but the bout was scrapped at the last minute. He instead made the initial walk one month later, where he got the full bare-knuckle experience.

After surviving an early knockdown, Selmani's pressure forced Englishman Dan Curtin to the canvas four times, eventually resulting in a second-round stoppage victory.

"We knew he was tough," Selmani said. "It wasn't a nobody that we fought; he was a professional boxer. I think he had 12 pro boxing fights and he was a tough guy. He never got knocked out cold. He has a hard head. It was definitely a challenge, but we prepared well and he eventually gave up in the second round."

Selmani had six MMA fights prior to his WWE tenure, but nothing compares to bare-knuckle impact. Getting hit and dropped early still did not cause any stray in the game plan.

"I knew I was going to get hit. It's a bare-knuckle fight, and it's hard to defend all the punches and stay out of range. That's just part of the game. [When I got knocked down], it was just an issue of being off-balance while I was walking backwards. So I wasn't really hurt or anything. I just took the full eight count to recover like my trainers told me. But I was in full control. I knew what I was going to do and executed the game plan perfectly."

Gzim Selmani (FKA Rezar in WWE, 4-2 in MMA): He is the REAL DEAL 😤 A devastating second-round finish earns him the 'W' in his BKFC debut!#BKFCNEWCASTLE | LIVE NOW on TrillerTV+ pic.twitter.com/7jtyyPpLUW

— TrillerTV (@Triller_TV) March 14, 2026

The volatility in bare-knuckle fights leaves every fight hanging in the balance until the final decision. Still, Selmani teased working on "secret knuckle conditioning techniques" before his BKFC debut, which he believes was the difference in his first fight.

"My knuckles are like concrete, you know? They're like steel. We're still working on it now. It's very important to condition your knuckles if you really want to punch through someone's head like I do."

Gzim Selmani reflects on BKFC Newcastle post-fight promo

Selmani's performance spoke for itself, but he delivered an even stronger post-fight promo by calling out the crowd in Newcastle for booing him during the official decision. Selmani admits he understood the reaction after beating an Englishman, while also believing he delivered the right message.

"I just want to make it clear that I don't give a f--- where I fight. I have nothing against England. If you're gonna boo me, you're gonna get it. That's exactly what I did after the fight. That's just the real me, who I am, you know? I was mad. I'm still mad. I just want to fight, that's it."

Selmani said he is "here to knock people out" in his post-fight promo, which remains his primary goal heading into his sophomore outing.

"I want to fight as much as possible and knock people out. I don't care where the fight is. That's what I told my management. If it makes sense, let's just do it. Obviously, I want to become champion; that's 100 percent the goal. But if I keep knocking people out, I know it will be sooner rather than later."

GZIM “THE ALBANIAN PSYCHO” SELMANI doesn’t mince words — and he’s not afraid to take damage or dish it out either 😮‍💨🔥
After one hell of a post-fight speech, here’s a look at the kind of chaos he brings once the bell rings 👊💥
FORMER WWE ENFORCER vs BARE-KNUCKLE VETERAN.
SELMANI… pic.twitter.com/KmK19RCO1i

— Bare Knuckle FC (@bareknucklefc) October 26, 2026

Much like his debut, Selmani's second fight got delayed, this time due to his original opponent withdrawing. He now looks at a main card matchup against Reece Heer at BKFC 96.

While preparing for everything Heer has to offer, Selmani is also already eyeing the BKFC heavyweight title.

For fighters like Selmani, titles tend to come sooner rather than later. But in a somewhat log-jammed heavyweight division that will not see another title fight until February 2027, the 32-year-old is content waiting for the right opportunity.

"I'm open to fighting anyone, but the BKFC doesn't want me to overstep anyone just because of my name, and I respect that. Some guys have been here for a long time and have paid their way up the rankings. But I'm ready. I just can't wait for what the future holds and there will be big fights coming soon."

Gzim Selmani forecasts BKFC Albania

If all goes well against Heer, Selmani could feasibly find himself nearing the top five in the division. Yet, in lieu of getting tunnel vision on the title, the budding star has developed other goals.

As the BKFC continues to expand internationally, Selmani sees the promotion's debut in his native Albania just around the corner.

"We've had some conversations," he said. "It's a relatively new sport in Europe, so there's a lot of convincing to do with the countries, but I definitely see a bare-knuckle future in Albania. I think we have the right fans. They love combat sports and they're always behind their fighters. We will see BKFC Albania soon."

In 2026 alone, the BKFC debuted in Uruguay, Australia,and Serbia, with BKFC 96 being its inaugural event in Scotland.

Selmani still recognizes that everything hinges on his performance against Heer on Nov. 7.