Cedric Doumbe walked out to the cage with a vacuum and cleaned the floor to remind everyone that his first MMA defeat was a fluke. Then he went out and proved just that.
Doumbe made quick work of Jaleel Willis on Friday at Bellator Champions Series: Paris, winning by TKO with a flurry of punches at the 3:33 mark of Round 1. The finish sequence came when Doumbe instigated a furious exchange between the two men and landed a right hook that dropped Willis, causing him to cover up on the canvas. From there, Doumbe swarmed him with a flurry of punches that forced referee Mike Beltran to stop the fight, sending the French fans at Accor Arena into a frenzy.
Cedric Doumbe SWARMED Jaleel Willis for the TKO to send the French crowd into frenzy at #BellatorParis 🇫🇷
🎥 @pflmma, @bellatormma pic.twitter.com/Rbro7lthMy
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) May 17, 2024
Afterward, Doumbe (6-1) and Willis (16-6), who had a heated and physical faceoff at the ceremonial weigh-ins, embraced each other with a hug. Doumble said Willis had a good game plan, but he figured it out as the fight wore on.
Doumbe’s victory surely erased memories of a controversial defeat in his previous bout, which was caused by a splinter in the cage. The win also sets up a showdown with former UFC and WEC champion Anthony Pettis, who was sitting cageside and entered the cage for a faceoff.
“I loved it, bro,” Pettis said of Doumbe’s performance. “I wanna fight him here in Paris. Pete (Murray), let’s set it up here.”
Doumbe’s reaction? “This guy must be crazy,” he said.
Up-to-the-minute Bellator Champions Series: Paris results include:
- Cedric Doumbe def. Jaleel Willis via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:33
- Costello van Steenis def. Gregory Babeno via submission (Von Flue choke) – Round 2, 2:16
- Yves Landu def. Jonas Bilharinho via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
- Archie Colgan def. Thibault Gouti via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
- Slim Trablesi def. Louis Sutherland via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Mansour Barnaoui def. Yusuke Yachi via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:08
- Mike Shipman def. Steven Hill via TKO (retirement) – Round 1, 5:00
- Aspen Ladd def. Katerina Shakalova via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Asael Adjoudj def. Bruno Fontes by knockout (punches) – Round 2, 1:11
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator Champions Series: Paris.
