{"id":2896,"date":"2024-02-14T17:07:46","date_gmt":"2024-02-14T16:07:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/?p=2896"},"modified":"2024-02-15T17:29:42","modified_gmt":"2024-02-15T16:29:42","slug":"cedric-doumbe-is-preparing-a-surprise-for-baki-as-soon-as-we-find","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/cedric-doumbe-is-preparing-a-surprise-for-baki-as-soon-as-we-find\/","title":{"rendered":"C\u00e9dric Doumb\u00e9 is preparing a surprise for \u2018Baki\u2019: \u201cAs soon as we find\u2026\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>While he\u2019s already an accomplished combat sports athlete,\u00a0Cedric Doumbe\u00a0is still relatively young when it comes to his mixed martial arts career.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">When entering the cage to face Baki at PFL Paris, C\u00e9dric Doumb\u00e9 plans to do something to make an impression.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Before facing Jordan Zebo last year, C\u00e9dric Doumb\u00e9 showed ingenuity. The Franco-Cameroonian had offered a mattress to his victim a few weeks before the fight. When entering the cage on September 30, &#8216;Doumced&#8217; played with the audience by shouting &#8220;Jordan!&#8221;, and the crowd responded &#8220;You&#8217;re dead!&#8221; \u00bb in an unforgettable sequence.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This strategy worked for the former Glory champion, who visibly destabilized his opponent until it was time to fight. For good reason: C\u00e9dric Doumb\u00e9 then scored a knockout in 9 seconds on \u2018Le Fauve\u2019. In the process, &#8216;Doumced&#8217; and his team tried to bring the mattress into the octagon to sleep Zebo on it&#8230; But security prevented this.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"fr\" dir=\"ltr\">\u00ab\u00a0Je vais donc finir Doumbe avec ma lutte incroyable tout droit venu du Dagestan ? Comme j\u2019ai fini les 9 adversaires pr\u00e9c\u00e9dents ?!\u00a0\u00bb <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3Sg3U4P6Fb\">https:\/\/t.co\/3Sg3U4P6Fb<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/PMcWwpEgZN\">pic.twitter.com\/PMcWwpEgZN<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; C\u00e9dric Doumb\u00e8 (@CedricDoumbe) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CedricDoumbe\/status\/1756315332145283575?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 10, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">C\u00e9dric Doumb\u00e9 wants to share all this fun against \u2018Baki\u2019 on March 7. In an online press conference, \u2018The Best\u2019 answered journalists\u2019 questions on this subject: \u201cFor every fight, we prepare something! As soon as we find it, we will let you know, but especially in Baki!<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_83254\"  width=\"696\" height=\"391\"  data-origwidth=\"696\" data-origheight=\"391\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gP3ocNxqarg?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;modestbranding=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The former two-time Glory Kickboxing champion will take a 5-0 record into his showdown with Baissangour Chamsoudinov at PFL Europe on March 7. The card takes place at Accor Arena in Paris, and Doumbe calls his bout \u201cthe biggest MMA fight in French history.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Though Doumbe is already a big star, fellow Frenchman Benoit St. Denis recently disputed the notion that the kickboxing ace is already the face of MMA in the country. According to St. Denis, UFC heavyweight Ciryl Gane currently deserves that honor.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cOf course I do not agree with that,\u201d Doumbe said during a media call on Tuesday. \u201cI\u2019m 100% sure I am the face of MMA in France and everybody knows that. For some people, if you\u2019re not in the UFC you can\u2019t be the face of MMA. They think UFC is the top guys. That\u2019s not wrong, but still you don\u2019t have to be the UFC champion to be the face of MMA in your country. It doesn\u2019t depend only on your performance. It depends on who you are, what you do, what you can make.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_83130\"  width=\"696\" height=\"391\"  data-origwidth=\"696\" data-origheight=\"391\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SSpWyk-V1is?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;modestbranding=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cCiryl Gane, can he sell out Accor Arena in one hour or one day? I don\u2019t think so, but Cedric Doumbe can. I think these type of things make me be the face of MMA in France.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Doumbe attracted a lot of attention for his PFL debut last September, when he carried a mattress with his opponent\u2019s name on it to the cage and then followed through on that promise by knocking out Jordan Zebo in just nine seconds. Doumbe plans on delivering a similar performance \u2014 complete with a special walkout \u2014 against Chamsoudinov. That means he isn\u2019t necessarily interested in showcasing other aspects of his MMA game.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cI prefer a first-round knockout,\u201d Doumbe said. \u201cYou know why? Because I still want people to get crazy, to dream about what is my level on the gorund. That\u2019s what makes me surprise my opponent, because they don\u2019t know my level on the ground. \u2018Baki\u2019 doesn\u2019t know my level on the ground. He doesn\u2019t know how he can train. If I can stay on my feet, I will do it and knock him out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Thus far, Doumbe is only showcasing his skills under the PFL Europe banner, but he\u2019s more than willing to compete in the league\u2019s global season format as well. The man with the moniker \u201cThe Best\u201d is open to all possibilities as long as it gets him closer to championship gold.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cI\u2019m open to any PFL [offer] on the table. I always say, I never decline a fight,\u201d Doumbe said. \u201cI can fight anyone. The [PFL welterweight] champion, [Magomed Magomedkerimov], Sadibou Sy. I want to fight Anthony Pettis. For me, it doesn\u2019t matter. But I want to shock the world. If they put me in the tournament, I will do it, and I will win the tournament. If they give me super fights, I will do it until I get the belt.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Doumbe initially signed with the UFC in 2022 with plans on making his debut at the promotion\u2019s Paris event that September. However, Doumbe wasn\u2019t cleared by the French Athletic Commission, and both sides eventually moved on. Now, the 31-year-old former Glory champion doesn\u2019t believe a future move to the UFC aligns with his own timeline for success in the MMA.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cIf you\u2019re smart, a young fighter who is 20, 21, he can make some choices. But those choices will not be the same as [when your are] 31,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not at the end of my career, I\u2019m at the top of my career. [At] 31, your body feels good. I don\u2019t want to waste my time. I want to capitalize. For me, going to UFC is losing two yeers. I don\u2019t want to do it. I don\u2019t have to prove anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Not only is the UFC not a goal, but Doumbe also admits that he isn\u2019t especially excited about PFL\u2019s recent acquistion of Bellator MMA.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cTo be honest, I don\u2019t even know the name of the Bellator champion,\u201d he said. \u201cThe roster of Bellator, I have no clue of who I want to fight. I think they know me. They want to fight me, but I don\u2019t know them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">One place where Doumbe does want to be more well-known is in the United States. If he is already the face of French MMA as he says, Doumbe knows he needs to branch out to expand his fan base and build his name.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cThe next step is going to be the U.S. market,\u201d Doumbe said. \u201cI have to do it because if I want to shock the world, I have to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While he\u2019s already an accomplished combat sports athlete,\u00a0Cedric Doumbe\u00a0is still relatively young when it comes to his mixed martial arts career. When entering the cage to face Baki at PFL Paris, C\u00e9dric Doumb\u00e9 plans to do something to make an impression. Before facing Jordan Zebo last year, C\u00e9dric Doumb\u00e9 showed ingenuity. The Franco-Cameroonian had offered [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2897,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2896","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pfl-mma"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2896"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2896"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2896\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2898,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2896\/revisions\/2898"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}