[1][2] Born in Oujda but raised in Brussels, in 1982 Qissi emigrated to Hollywood together with childhood friend Jean-Claude Van Damme in search of becoming an action star.
Qissi also had the role of a fight trainer for Van Damme in the action cyberpunk film Cyborg (1989) and served as choreographer on Kickboxer.
[9][10] Qissi is the co-founder of The World Cinema Combat Federation (WCCF), an organization he formed with Grand Master Beom Jhoo Lee which teaches fight choreography in filmmaking.
He befriended Jean-Claude Van Damme at an early age and they grew up together with the same love for action films and training in martial arts.
After obtaining an interview with Menahem Golan of Cannon Films, they secured a three-picture deal, the first of which was the highly successful Bloodsport, in which Van Damme starred and Qissi had a small role as a tournament fighter named Suan Paredes.
He also appeared in Bloodmatch, alongside Thom Mathews, Hope Marie Carlton, Marianne Taylor, Vincent Klyn, and Benny Urquidez.
The film, which was shot in the Sahara, in Tata, Morocco, was shown in theaters in major Moroccan cities and was extremely well received by audiences.
[21][22] Qissi's role as Tong Po in Kickboxer (1989) provided visual inspiration for the Mortal Kombat character Goro.