There were plenty of eyebrows raised among the European MMA fanbase when Cedric Doumbe’s next opponent was named, but any thoughts that the PFL matchmaking team had dropped the ball with a slam-dunk rematch are wide of the mark.
Doumbe’s last outing, against Baysangur Chamsoudinov, saw the former GLORY kickboxing star put on the back foot by his fellow undefeated countryman as “Baki’s” wrestling-based approach forced Doumbe to showcase his evolving MMA skillset and defensive wrestling skills.
Eventually, a fight that looked to be on a knife edge heading into the final round was stopped in unusual circumstances after Doumbe sustained a shard of glass in his toe, leaving him unable to continue. It cost him his unbeaten record and gave Chamsoudinov a notable win, but the manner of the finish left things feeling unresolved, and talks of a rematch immediately followed.
PFL Europe
It seemed like an easy booking for the PFL and, ahead of Doumbe’s return to action at Bellator Paris on May 17, PFL CEO Peter Murray revealed that a Doumbe-Chamsoudinov rematch was the promotion’s first choice, too.
“I think everybody would like to have seen that rematch,” he told John Morgan on The MMA Road Show.
“Candidly, I’m not sure that Baki was, you know… he clearly wasn’t down for it. He looked the other way.
“He had the opportunity to get the fight of his life and, as far as we’re concerned, he shied away from it. But that was his decision, not ours.”
With Chamsoudinov seemingly walking away from the chance to rematch Doumbe in Paris, PFL officials shuffled the pack and booked Bellator veteran Derek Anderson.
Then, after “Barbaric” picked up a nasty injury during a hit-and-run incident, the matchmakers had to move swiftly again and drafted in Jaleel Willis, a 21-fight veteran who will be making his eighth appearance under the Bellator banner when he faces Doumbe on May 17.
It’s a bout that will present a fresh test for the French kickboxing star, and Murray is looking forward to seeing how Doumbe fares.
PFL Europe
“There’s a lot of conversation around Cedric, as a world-class kickboxer from the European, French market and scene, and now he’s having an opportunity to flex a little in MMA and show what he can do,” said Murray.
“He’s gonna fight an American opponent, Jaleel, who’s very, very seasoned. So I think we’re gonna see the best from Jaleel in this fight, and we’ll see what kind of skills Cedric has, in terms of how he’s expanded some of his MMA capability.”
Clearly the PFL sees big things ahead for Doumbe, whose star power was on full display when he made his PFL debut in Paris last year and knocked out undefeated French prospect Jordan Zebo in just nine seconds in front of a deafening Parisian crowd.
But, rather than throw Doumbe straight into the cut and thrust of the PFL’s Global Season, the promotion is instead looking to showcase Doumbe’s talent while also giving him the chance to round out his MMA skillset, before a potential move toward bigger things in 2025.
“Cedric’s on his journey, and can he compete potentially, in the Global Season today? Yeah. But I think from a overall development standpoint, he’s competing at a very high level, he’s showing us a lot,” Murray explained.
“We really wanted to use this year to sort of have him flex, in terms of showing us his range. He’ll have a range of opponents, and he’ll be challenged, and then it’s really then about what does he accomplish this year? And what does it set him up for next year?”
Murray then teased a potentially huge matchup for Doumbe, if he can get past Willis next weekend, with a former UFC and WEC champion already expressing an interest in facing the Frenchman.
“We’re really interested to see the matchup, Jaleel and Cedric. Cedric is a bit of a phenom, in our view. We’ll see what he’s gonna bring,” Murray said.
“But the next test for him could very well be fighting Anthony Pettis. Pettis wants to fight. I was talking to him just the other day (and) he said he may come over to Paris to the show, to see in person what this kid is all about.
“Anthony’s sizing him up. He wants to fight. So, more to come there.”
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