Cedric Doumbe defeated Jaleel Willis in the first round of their co-main event bout at Bellator Champion Series 2 in Paris, France. Derek Anderson was the original opponent for Doumbe but suffered an injury due to a hit-and-run incident. Willis, an ex-LFA welterweight champion, replaced Anderson on short notice. Coming off a loss to Ramazan Kuramagomedov, Willis looked confident going into the fight and had an exciting first round.
However, Doumbe was significantly better in the striking department and did his job with a makeshift counter right hook-straight. Dropping Willis with the punch, Doumbe poured on ground and pound shots and ultimately secured the victory. Doumbe thus rebounded from the controversial referee stoppage at PFL Europe 1, against Baissangour Chamsoudinov a.k.a Baki.
Is Anthony Pettis next for Cedric Doumbe?
Former UFC Lightweight champion Anthony Pettis was front row in Paris to see Cedric Doumbe in action. Even before the fight, the PFL had already made it clear that they wanted the ex-UFC champion in action against the ex-Glory Kickboxing champion. Pettis stepped into the smart cage after Doumbe’s victory and even had a face-off with the Frenchman. Moreover, Pettis even demanded he wanted to fight Doumbe in Paris. A bewildered Doumbe thought it was crazy for the American fighter to fight in enemy territory.
Pettis left the UFC on a two-fight winning streak and signed with the PFL where he is 1-4 and last fought in August 2022. In his previous two fights, Pettis lost to Stevie Ray, first via submission and second via unanimous decision. He had lost his PFL debut to Clay Collard and the subsequent bout to Raush Manfio before he submitted Myles Price via triangle choke. Nonetheless, at 37, Pettis would have it tough against Doumbe.
However, one thing Pettis has an edge over Doumbe is in grappling. Even though Pettis is a dynamic striker, Doumbe is the more accomplished kickboxer and packs more power. Nonetheless, it’s not easy to count out Pettis even though he has a sole victory in his last five. After all, Pettis has even defeated Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson via knockout. Thompson has never been knocked out before or after the Pettis fight.
