French MMA superstar Cedric Doumbe has a new opponent for his return to action on Friday, May 17.
Doumbe was due to take on Derek Anderson at the Bellator Champions Series event at the Accor Arena, but after the American was left injured after a hit-and-run incident, Bellator officials moved swiftly to find a replacement.
That man is Jaleel Willis, who steps in to face Doumbe on less than a month’s notice as he bids to upset the form book in a major way in the Frenchman’s back yard.
Willis has lost three of his last four, with all three defeats coming in the first round – two by submission and one by TKO. The former LFA welterweight champion has Bellator wins over Mark Lemminger, Maycon Mendonca and Kyle Crutchmer, all via unanimous decision.
His last inside-the-distance victory came against Chel Erwin-Davis at LFA 42 back in June 2018, but he has a huge opportunity to rebound in a major way by defeating one of European MMA’s biggest rising stars.
Willis isn’t the only one looking to bounce back, however. Doumbe’s last appearance was a controversial one, with his bout against Baysangur Chamsoudinov ending in a TKO defeat after he got a shard of glass embedded in his toe during the bout.
PFL Europe
It meant that the former kickboxing star lost his undefeated MMA record, but you can bet he’ll return to the cage in Paris determined to make amends with a highlight-reel performance to match the one he delivered on his PFL debut, where he knocked out Jordan Zebo in just nine seconds at PFL Europe 3 last September.
Doumbe’s bout with Willis will form the co-main event in Paris, with the headline bout seeing Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix putting his title on the line against Russian contender Magomed Magomedov.
The card will feature more French stars, with middleweight Gregory Babene taking on Dutch contender Costello van Steenis, featherweight fan favourite Yves Landu taking on Brazil’s Jonas Bilharinho, and lightweight Thibault Gouti taking on undefeated American Archie Colgan.
Another French lightweight contender, Mansour Barnaoui, returns to action againt Japanese veteran Yusuke Yachi, while featherweight Asaej Adjoudj takes on unbeaten Brazilian Bruno Fontes.
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
