Kickboxing icon and PFL superstar Cedric Doumbe is confident of his ability to stop anyone in the cage, even a sporting icon.
Doumbe is one of the most recognisable names in European MMA, and draws massive crowds for his homecomings in Paris. This Friday, he faces former LFA champion Jaleel Willis at Bellator Paris as he looks to bounce back from his first loss in the cage.
The defeat to Baysangur ‘Baki’ Chamsoudinov was a controversial one. It came after Doumbe informed referee Marc Goddard of a shard of glass that had made its way into the cage and splintered his toe, which caused a stoppage and resulted in a TKO.
Cedric Doumbe predicts he could KO Conor McGregor
Doumbe’s French walkouts have become legendary, with fans flocking to the Accor Arena in order to see the kickboxing star in action. And his most recent effort was likened to Conor McGregor’s sole Dublin fight under the UFC banner in 2014 against Diego Brandao.
And the PFL star is honoured by the comparisons, telling Bloody Elbow yesterday: “It makes sense because I’m the face of MMA in France as Conor was in Ireland so the comparison makes sense.
“But if I fought Conor, I think I would knock him out in the first round because he is a good fighter. When I fight against a good fighter, I knock them out.”
Cedric Doumbe’s walkout likened to famous Conor McGregor night
Veteran fighter and commentator Sean O’Connell was on the call the night of Doumbe’s ill-fated outing against ‘Baki’ in March. And his broadcast partner Dan Hardy, who also called McGregor vs Brandao, likened the two nights in terms of atmosphere.
“Dan Hardy kept comparing the moments we get with Cedric Doumbe and the energy we get in those buildings with the fight between Conor McGregor and Diego Brandao in Dublin,” O’Connell told Bloody Elbow.
“You’ve got this local who’s also a big rising international star, but that is still very connected with that home base audience. We’ve had that twice now with Cedric in the PFL and now he’s going to be making his Bellator debut.
“It’s truly unique in my career and in my experience… For me and for all of us in the PFL and Bellator it’s been a lot of fun because we haven’t had a ton of those moments.
“It’s a truly sold out arena, everyone’s on their feet and people are going crazy. Obviously in the last fight there was the controversy and all of that kind of stuff. It’s fun to be part of something so big when Cedric is involved.”
Conor McGregor set for UFC comeback next month
And while Doumbe makes his mark in the Bellator cage, McGregor is also looking to make his return to winning ways in the coming weeks. The former two-weight world champion is going to face ex-Bellator champion Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29 in Las Vegas.
McGregor hasn’t fought since the summer of 2021 when he suffered a gruesome broken leg while losing a trilogy bout to Dustin Poirier. He has had many false dawns for a return date since being cleared two years ago, but now finally has a date and opponent.
McGregor vs Chandler has already broken records at the box office for the UFC’s largest ever gate. Fans have stumped up a minimum of $800 and as much as $14,500 to attend the T-Mobile Arena show, which is expected to be a massive pay-per-view draw as well.
Interestingly, the last time McGregor had a fight, Doumbe had yet to make his MMA debut. The French superstar is now 5-1, with his sole loss an highly debated one.
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