Tensions are rising between French MMA superstar Cedric Doumbe and his latest opponent Jaleel Willis ahead of their impending meeting at the Bellator Champions Series event in Paris later this month.
Doumbe and Willis will face off in the co-main event at the Accor Arena on Friday, May 17, with the Frenchman still smarting after losing his undefeated record in controversial fashion last time out.
Doumbe’s PFL debut was a stunner as he needed just nine seconds to knock out Jordan Zebo in Paris as a packed arena, including French football superstar Kylian Mbappe, watched, open-mouthed in amazement as Doumbe registered the fastest KO in PFL history.
But his second appearance inside the PFL SmartCage ended in bizarre circumstances as he suffered his first career defeat on a technicality.
Doumbe’s bout with Baysangur Chamsoudiniov was stopped early in the third round after the Frenchman picked up a shard of glass in his toe and was deemed unable to continue. With no provision in MMA’s Unified Rules to allow for a fighter to receive treatment mid-round after sustaining an injury caused by an external factor, the fight was waved off, with Doumbe losing the bout via TKO.
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It left a bitter taste in Doumbe’s mouth after the event, and now the former kickboxing star is determined to put on a show as he returns to action on home soil against Willis, who has promised to bring the action to him on fight night.
“I feel ready for this one,” he told the media on a global media call ahead of the event.
“I saw that Jaleel is confident. That’s very good, because my opponents are all confident before the first jab. So that’s very cool.
“If you think you can finish me, maybe submit, me maybe knock me out, that’s very, very, cool. That’s even better, because then he cannot do like the last opponent, running.”
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Doumbe then addressed Willis directly, saying, “I think that’s even better if you try to knock me out or finish me. Then we’re gonna get an interesting fight, because you will not do like the last opponent, running around trying to trying to dodge, trying to escape, trying to take me down.
“He will go for the fight – that’s very, very good. He can visit Paris before the fight, because after the fight he will be in the hospitals of Paris, and that will not be good for him.
“He can even smoke another joint, like you do. (But) He doesn’t need any joint, because after the first the first smack, he will be high forever. I can’t wait”
Willis, meanwhile, said he’s relishing the opportunity to head into enemy territory and claim a show-stealing win over France’s biggest martial arts star.
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“Man, it means a lot. It means a f**k-ton to me, bro,” he explained.
“I mean, how many times does anybody to get to go into anybody’s back yard and dominate and do some s**t and be glorified for it and not get locked up?
“I embrace this s**t. I was born to hit the streets, wake up, hustle, do what I got to do, get out there so I can bring home the bread for my family. I got to keep this nice-ass house that I got!
“One thing about it is my resume shows what’s up. That’s the reason they called me, because they know I’m a fighter that goes out there and f*****g takes chances.”
If the pre-fight soundbytes from the pair are any guide, the French fans could be in for a spectacular co-main event clash at the Accor Arena.
And, while Doumbe has injected his own brand of trash talk with his hospital jibe, he acknowledged the danger Willis will pose him when they go face to face inside the Bellator cage on May 17.
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“I love to fight. And I don’t like training without any substantial objective. So it’s important for me to have an objective to look forward to,” he said.
“Jaleel is a good fighter. He’s a dangerous fighter. He’s the kind of fighter who adapted his style as well, going from wrestling, learning how to strike, and I think he’s going to try to take me into the wrestling realm there, as well.
“It’s going to be a good thing for me. All my opponents want to take me to the realm where they think I’m the weakest, but that’s when they get to discover the power of my striking capabilities. And I think I will be able to surprise everyone, perhaps with one of my trademark jabs.”
He also gave a chilling prediction for the fight, saying, “I’m a fighter, I was born to fight. I was born to knock people out. I was born to knock Jaleel out, so I will do it.
“France is waiting for me, all the French crowd, all the French people and even American people are waiting for me to knock him out. I will do what I do best, rip his head off, shut his mouth and send him back to the US.”
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Bellator Paris: Confirmed fights
MAIN CARD
- Patchy Mix vs. Magomed Magomedov – for bantamweight title
- Cedric Doumbe vs. Jaleel Willis
- Gregory Babene vs. Costello van Steenis
- Yves Landu vs. Jonas Bilharinho
- Archie Colgan vs. Thibault Gouti
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Slim Trabelsi vs. Louie Sutherland
- Mansour Barnaoui vs. Yusuke Yachi
- Imamshafi Aliev vs. Mike Shipman
- Aspen Ladd vs. Ekaterina Shakalova
- Asael Adjoudj vs. Bruno Fontes
