Cedric Doumbe’s Paris homecoming ended in fairytale fashion tonight at the Accor Arena as he won in impressive fashion.
The kickboxing superstar returned to the scene of his first MMA defeat looking to free himself from the demons that were caused by his controversial loss to Baysangur ‘Baki’ Chamsoudinov in March. And he did just that, stopping Jaleel Willis in the first round as Bellator returned to the French city.
A capacity crowd at the capital city arena piled in to catch a glimpse of Doumbe, whose ring walks have become legendary in the sport. The sold out attendance included a number of major names such as NBA sensation Victor Wembanyana and former UFC champion Tyron Woodley.
Cedric Doumbe TKOs Jaleel Willis inside one round
A veteran of 21 fights, Willis had vowed to stifle Doumbe in a smothering performance that would see him bore the French crowd for 15 minutes. But instead, he seemed eager to trade in the early exchanges after a few failed takedown attempts.
In fact, a looping right hand from Willis dropped Doumbe early. Although it appeared to be more of a balance issue as he immediately ran for the finish and was made to fall flat like a bull by a matador as the home fighter taunted him.
However, the American eventually couldn’t withstand the power of his elite kickboxing rival and was dropped himself moments later. And despite seemingly making his way back to the feet, referee Mike Beltran stopped the fight much to the jubilation of the French crowd.
Cedric Doumbe books showdown with Anthony Pettis after Paris win
Immediately following his victory, Doumbe was introduced to his next opponent as he faced off with former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis. The American is set to face Chris Avila on July 6 as the co-main event to Nate Diaz vs Jorge Masvidal in California.
But he flew to Paris with his family in order to see Doumbe up close, and was keen to make his presence felt throughout fight week. Once the result had been read, he was immediately escorted into the cage where he declared his interest in the bout.
Pettis declared that he wanted to fight in France, with Doumbe telling him he had a death wish. The Frenchman then led his raucous audience in a chant of his notorious catchphrase: “Pettis t’es mort [Pettis will die]!”
Literal fireworks on the undercard as Yves Landu wins at home
It was a mixed night for the French charges as Asael Adjuj, Mansour Barnaoui and Yves Landu all won. However, that was negated by big defeats for Thibault Gouti and Gregory Babene in their efforts.
But the exciting Landu lit up the arena, quite literally, as fans lit up flares in the upper sections of the Arena in support of the French featherweight. Known for his dynamic striking, Landu was forced on to the ground as he eeked out a split decision win over Brazilian Jonas Bilharinho.
However, he impressed with his post-fight acrobatics, even earning a substantial cheer from Wembanyana in the crowd at cageside. Landu’s win was followed up by a brutal second round stoppage of Babene by Costello Van Steenis in a middleweight number one contender fight.
- PULL APART BRAWL: Cedric Doumbe and Jaleel Willis dragged apart as final weigh-in for Bellator Paris turns violent