Cedric Doumbe will make his Bellator MMA debut on May 17th when he takes on Derek Anderson in the Bellator Champion Series Paris co-headliner.
The fight is part of a multi-fight extension that Doumbe signed with the Professional Fighters League, which acquired Bellator late last year. Doumbe, a former two-time Glory Kickboxing Welterweight Champion, has quickly emerged as one of the PFL’s biggest stars in Europe.
PFL CEO Peter Murray said in a release: “Re-signing Cedric Doumbe to a multi-year contract extension has been one of our top priorities since he joined the promotion last year. ” he said. “Cedric has been a major contributor to our continued growth in France, and now he will continue his trajectory through our global league while also leading the way in the Bellator Champions Series with a fight card available for U.S. fans to stream on Max. I will be participating in Paris.”
The addition of Doumbe vs. Anderson is part of a significant shuffle at the top of the Bellator Paris card. The event’s original headliner, a lightweight title tilt match between reigning champion Usman Nurmagomedov and Alexander Chablis, was postponed due to an undisclosed injury sustained by Nurmagomedov. The match will be rebooked in the “near future,” according to the release. Meanwhile, the bantamweight championship showdown between Patrick Mix and Magomed Magomedov has been promoted to the main event.
Bellator Champions Series Paris will be held at the Accor Arena in Paris and will be broadcast on Max in the United States. The card also includes a middleweight contender bout between Costella Van Steenis and Gregory Baben.
Doumbe, 31, began his professional mixed martial arts career with five consecutive wins, including a nine-second knockout of Jordan Zebo in his PFL debut in September of this year. In his last appearance, the Frenchman suffered a controversial third-round TKO loss to Baisangor Chamsuddinov in PFL Europe 1. The bout was stopped at 1:21 of the third round when Doumbe complained to referee Mark Goddard about an injury to his left leg. Doumbe later revealed that during the match, a piece of debris stuck in his leg and got in the way.
Anderson, on the other hand, has amassed an 8-4 record under the Bellator banner since his promotional debut in 2013. Most recently, the Californian returned after a more than two-year hiatus in September of this year, scoring a 30-second submission of Ray Parker at the Gladiator Challenge event.
