Anthony Pettis is in Paris to watch Cedric Doumbe’s fight against Jaleel Willis, and if Doumbe performs well, Pettis is open to a future fight against him, but if Doumbe fails to impress, Pettis will likely stick to boxing.
Anthony Pettis touched down in Paris late Tuesday. His mission? To lay the groundwork for a future bout with ex-GLORY kickboxing champ, Cedric Doumbe.
Pettis has a boxing match with Chris Avila slated for July. But then PFL rang. They wanted to know if he’d be interested in taking on Doumbe. Not long after that call, Pettis was Paris-bound. He’s there to watch Doumbe go toe-to-toe with Jaleel Willis at the Bellator Paris co-main event this Friday.
“PFL wants me to fight Doumbe,” Pettis shared with MMA Fighting on Wednesday. He’s up for it, too. At this stage in his career, Pettis is all about the thrill of the fight. His opponent needs to have a reputation, a story. Cedric ticks most of those boxes, except for his last fight.
Pettis had one condition for PFL. He wasn’t impressed with the outcome of Doumbe’s last fight. Doumbe needs to pull off something spectacular to make a match with Pettis worthwhile.
Doumbe’s last fight ended in his first professional MMA loss. He complained about a splinter in his foot to referee Marc Goddard. When Goddard told him to keep fighting, Doumbe asked for a timeout to deal with the splinter rather than face his opponent.
Seconds later, Goddard called off the fight. Doumbe lost as a result.
“Doumbe still has a lot to learn in MMA,” Pettis observed. He noted Doumbe’s discomfort with forward pressure and fighting off his back foot. Doumbe’s last opponent was tough, and it exposed the gaps in his MMA game. “Great striker, but you put him on that back foot and you change levels, he second-guesses himself,” Pettis said.
Pettis was less interested in a fight with Doumbe after that. But now, Doumbe’s set up for a match that could end in a spectacular knockout. That’s what Pettis needs to see to keep him interested.
Pettis has other options. He beat legendary boxer Roy Jones Jr. in April 2023. He could stick to boxing if Doumbe doesn’t deliver at Bellator Paris.
“Doumbe needs to be impressive,” Pettis said. “I’m here to see him score a knockout.” Doumbe has a large fan base in his hometown. Pettis is looking for someone with a name. Doumbe checks many of those boxes, but he’s still early in his career.
If Doumbe disappoints on Friday, Pettis will likely stick to boxing. But if Doumbe impresses, they could set up a match for the end of the year.
Pettis knows Doumbe’s career well, especially his dominant kickboxing run. But an MMA fight is a different beast. Many kickboxers have struggled to transition to MMA. Pettis would be a huge step up for Doumbe.
Pettis was surprised PFL wanted this fight. But with Doumbe’s kickboxing pedigree, it makes sense. PFL needs exciting fights. Doumbe’s last fight had a great audience, but the ending was a letdown. PFL is looking to bounce back from that.
Pettis isn’t looking to fight for a title in PFL or Bellator right now. He’s only interested in MMA for fun, meaningful fights. He knows he can perform well.
Pettis noticed Doumbe’s weaknesses in his last fight. Doumbe looked less dangerous when he was on his back foot and retreating. “He looked very human,” Pettis said. But Pettis knows Doumbe’s strength is coming forward and kickboxing.
But this is an MMA fight. Pettis’s jiu-jitsu is far superior to Doumbe’s. He has more MMA striking experience. He’s fought tougher opponents. First, Doumbe needs to impress. Then, Pettis will figure out how to beat him.