Jake Paul vs Cédric Doumbé: Eight Rounds Without Kicks

Jake Paul and Cédric Doumbé met face to face for the first time at a press conference in Paris on Tuesday. They are scheduled to box at Dubai's Coca-Cola Arena on December 24. Their sanctioned professional cruiserweight bout is set for eight three-minute rounds at a 200-pound limit with 10-ounce gloves. This is boxing, not a kickboxing or MMA contest.

Experience across different sports

Doumbé is a two-time GLORY world champion with 75 kickboxing wins and six MMA wins, according to the promoter. In professional boxing, the Frenchman has fought just once and won. Paul has boxed professionally 14 times, compiling a 12–2 record. Those records cannot be compared across sports, but they do show who has spent more time competing under boxing rules.

Doumbé's power and timing are established in kickboxing. Without kicks, however, distance and rhythm change, while eight rounds of boxing present a different test from his MMA appearances. Whether he can carry his strengths into this particular contest is the sporting question behind the promotion.

Barbs at the first faceoff

In Paris, Paul called Doumbé a tune-up fight despite his championship pedigree. Doumbé countered that he had called Paul out because he wanted an easy fight. The remarks helped sell the event; they do not establish a sporting favorite.

It will be Paul's first bout since his knockout loss to Anthony Joshua in December 2025. Doumbé's most recent MMA fight listed by the PFL was in May 2024, when he stopped Jaleel Willis in the opening round. Most Valuable Promotions is staging the Dubai event. We have previously covered how MVP and the PFL are working together.