Jake Paul to face Cedric Doumbe in Dubai in first fight since Anthony Joshua knockout
The eight-round cruiserweight contest will be Paul's first since Anthony Joshua knocked him out in December 2025, a fight that left him with a fractured jaw.
Post by @PFLMMA on X
Cedric Doumbe will be the man in the opposite corner when Jake Paul returns to the ring at the Coca-Cola Arena on Thursday 24 December, MVP announced on Monday. The bout is set for eight rounds at cruiserweight (200lb), with the pair wearing 10oz gloves.
It will be Paul's first fight since December 2025, when Joshua inflicted the first knockout loss of his professional career. Paul fractured his jaw in the defeat and needed two surgeries to repair it. Now 12-2 as a professional boxer, he had won six in a row before that night, with victories over Mike Tyson, Mike Perry and Nate Diaz among them.
Doumbe comes from kickboxing and MMA, with a career that includes 45 knockouts and two Glory titles. He is 6-1 in MMA with a 100 per cent knockout rate. His two PFL fights brought a nine-second knockout and then a defeat caused by a splinter injury, and he last competed in MMA in May 2024, stopping Jaleel Willis in the first round under the Bellator banner.
Paul said Doumbe had called him out two years ago. He admitted he was rusty and lacked his opponent's kickboxing world titles, but stressed that this would be a boxing match. The pair are due to attend press conferences in Paris and Dubai next week, and Paul had a message for Doumbe's home country: “To the proud people of France, excuse-moi for what I am about to do, but your son has been naughty and he’s going to get punished.” Doumbe turned his attention to the damage Paul suffered against Joshua. He said: “Jake loves to talk, and so do I, but after what Joshua did to his jaw, I’m not sure how much talking he has left.” He added: “I’m going to finish the job Joshua started.” MVP has yet to announce broadcast details for the event.
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