Cédric Doumbé Signs With the PFL
Former two-time GLORY Kickboxing Champion Cédric "The Best" Doumbé has just signed with the Professional Fighters League (PFL). The former GLORY fighter retired from kickboxing in October 2021 and has pursued an MMA career since then. Let's dive into what led Doumbé up to this point.
GLORY Kickboxing Career
Doumbé signed with GLORY in 2015 and lost his debut to Yoann Kongolo via unanimous decision, but would remain undeterred and rebound with a victory against Murthel Groenhart in early 2016. In his coming fights, he would build a 12-3 record inside GLORY, including six KOs, with an overall record of 75-6-1 with 45 KOs. Doumbé would win the GLORY World Championship twice, first against Nieky Holzken, and later reclaim it from Harut Grigorian. These two title reigns include five successful title defenses. His final kickboxing bout came against Murthel Groenhart in 2021, the third of the trilogy between the two. Doumbé would finish Gronehart with a right cross in the second round and announce his retirement later in the year, mentioning he's dedicating his full time to MMA.
Transition to MMA and UFC Struggles
Cédric Doumbé would make his MMA debut against Abri Emiev in November 2021, headlining Superkombat Universe in Dubai, UAE. He would largely dominate the bout until the first-round stoppage, dropping Emiev before finishing him with ground-and-pound. He returned in July 2022, facing undefeated Frenchman Phruethukorn Chaichongcharden, winning via second-round doctor stoppage. With this victory, Doumbé was supposed to be signed with the UFC and make his debut on the first-ever UFC Paris card, headlined by Ciryl Gane and Tai Tuivasa. However, his debut - which was supposed to come against Gabe Green - was canceled as the French MMA Federation would not sanction the bout. The commission stated that fighters with less than ten professional bouts must not have more than a four-fight differential between them, and Doumbé only had two bouts to his name, as opposed to Green's fifteen. Following this dispute, Doumbé would not join the UFC and instead would rack up two more wins: a first-round KO vs. Florent Burillon and a second-round TKO against Paweł Klimas. PFL Signing
PFL Signing
And now, present day, Cédric Doumbé holds a professional record of 4-0, with all victories coming via KO/TKO. Doumbé has signed with the PFL and will join in with the Welterweight $1,00,000 tournament, with his first fight under the PFL banner coming on June 23 against a currently unannounced opponent.
The oddsmakers are always confident in Israel Adesanya.
— Verdict (@TournamentsMMA) April 5, 2023
He's lost 3 fights to Alex Pereira, but the oddsmakers still have him as a favorite heading into this weekend.#UFC287 pic.twitter.com/0MF4krsH1v
Who would you like to see Doumbé face in his debut? Do you think he'll find success in the PFL? As a member of the Verdict Community, let us know your prediction in the comments below.
