Cedric Doumbe tried to raise the stakes with his career. Jake Paul answered the way only Jake Paul can. Happy Punch posted the exchange on X on Nov. 12, with Doumbe telling Paul, “If you win, I retire.”
Paul didn’t blink: “I didn’t even know you existed before this. No one gives a f*ck about your retirement.”
So the two raised the stakes with money instead. The Sun reported Friday that Paul and Doumbe have agreed to a winner-takes-all bet ahead of their fight, with both purses going to whoever leaves Dubai with his hand raised. That’s the kind of side action I want more of. Talk is cheap. Signing away your check is expensive.
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The fight is set for Thursday, Dec. 24, at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, and tickets go on sale Sunday, Nov. 15, according to the PFL. The promotion also posted on X that Paul “wants Cédric Doumbé in MMA too,” so the YouTuber is apparently already shopping for a sequel before the first one happens.
If Paul really didn’t know who Doumbe was, here’s the homework. The Cameroonian-born Frenchman, 34, is a former two-time Glory welterweight champion who spent several years ranked No. 1 at welterweight by Combat Press and other outlets. Combat Press and Liver Kick both named him Fighter of the Year in 2016. These days he competes at welterweight in the PFL. Early in his kickboxing run, he won a WKA full contact world title by knocking out Boris Gryniv in 13 seconds. Thirteen. That’s shorter than a Paul entrance video.
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The promotional tour has been loud. The two faced off for the first time on Nov. 10, a moment Championship Rounds clipped on X. Paul also brawled verbally with a booing crowd in Paris, Doumbe’s home turf, and Happy Punch caught him telling fans, “Why y’all booing? You should boo yourself. Didn’t this place burn down? Shut the f*ck up!” Championship Rounds also posted Paul recreating the Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Merab Dvalishvili brawl, which tells you how seriously he’s taking the trash talk portion of this job.
I’ll give Paul this much. He picked a decorated striker who’s spent his whole career knocking people out, and he’s putting his payday on it. Doumbe already put his career on the table. The only person who can’t lose money here is the guy buying a ticket on Nov. 15.
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