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Cedric Doumbe impresses in PFL debut
Former Glory kickboxing champ Cedric Doumbe made his first appearance in the PFL cage against Jordan Zebo and needed only 9 seconds to finish his man with a brutal counter punch off a caught kick.
Let’s take a look:
Cedric Doumbe now 5-0 as a pro MMA fighter
Doumbe improved his undefeated record to 5-0 with the win.
“That’s one of my best preparations that I ever did in combat sports,” Doumbe said. “I feel in shape. Everything was settled to knock him out. I knew I would knock him out. That’s what I expected.
“This is my specialty, I’m a kickboxer. He just came into it and that was easy.”
“I never decline a fight,” Doumbe shouted. “Anyone. I never have to call out anybody because I’m the best.”
The UFC almost signed Doumbe
Just six months ago the rumor mill was rife with expectations that the world’s leading MMA promotion would be singing the kickboxing star. As we reported at the time:
“For former Glory kickboxing champion and devastating knockout artist Cedric Doumbe, the UFC portion of his combat sports career was supposed to get started back in September of 2022. That’s when multiple sources reported that the 30-year-old Cameroonian-born Frenchman had been signed to take on Darian Weeks at UFC Paris: Gane vs. Tuivasa.
“Unfortunately, and despite the fact that Weeks himself was only carrying a 5-2 MMA record (alongside a 1-1 boxing career), the French MMA Federation nixed the booking, on account of Cedric Doumbe’s limited 2-0 bouts worth of experience fighting inside a cage.”
After that fight fell through, Doumbe had to clarify the situation:
“I never said I signed to UFC” Doumbe wrote in a post to his Twitter account. “I said that the contract was signed (before #UFCParis) and that until I fight I’m not officially in the UFC so I can negotiate with other big organizations. You have to listen well when I speak.”
“In a follow-up Tweet, Doumbe further clarified his stance, adding, ‘“’I know you all want to see me at #UFC. I really want to make you happy, but the choice offered to me is really not easy and at 30 [years old] it will be the last choice of my life. It’s not easy!'”
Signing Doumbe was a big win for PFL
In May we reported on the surprise signing.
“I am a unique fighter joining a unique organization in the PFL,” Doumbe said in a press release. “I look forward to great success in the PFL.”
“There are lots of options for Doumbe in this new deal. The promotion’s season format, albeit a high-pressure one, allows fighters to rise up to a title shot within a year’s time. However, if he were to compete in one of the promotion’s seasons, he will have to wait. The welterweight regular season kicked off just a few weeks ago and the playoffs for the tournament are expected to conclude this fall. If we’re going to see him any time before then, it would likely be in a showcase contest.”
Now that Doumbe has won his debut in spectacular fashion it will be intriguing to see how far he goes with the PFL.
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