Two and a half months after the fiasco of his previous duel, French MMA fighter Cédric Doumbé redeemed himself by beating the American Jaleel Willis in style, Friday at the Accor Arena in Paris, as part of Bellator. In front of an audience won over to his cause, Doumbé, who was largely the favorite, won by stoppage from the referee after a flurry of blows to the ground after 3 min 33 sec of fighting in the first round.
Make people forget their defeat
The 31-year-old Frenchman absolutely had to forget his grotesque defeat against Baysangur “Baki” Chamsoudinov on March 7, a setback conceded because of a simple splinter in the foot. It was the first defeat in MMA for the former kickboxing champion who came out with a somewhat tarnished image, even though the fight had been anticipated for many months by French fans.
Contract fulfilled for Doumbé who was offensive from the first moments and who regained a certain credibility after this immense flop. The excited Bercy fans, including Victor Wembanyama and Vincent Cassel, in any case did not seem to blame him, cheering him as soon as he entered the stage around 10:00 p.m. The specialist in verbal provocations also showed them that he was capable of self-deprecation by taking out a vacuum cleaner as he approached the cage, as if to ensure that no splinters were going to bother him this time.
REDEMPTION IN PARIS FOR “THE BEST”
Cédric Doumbé stops Jaleel Willis in the first round and sets up a matchup with Anthony Pettis! #BellatorParis | LIVE NOW
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Live on DAZN pic.twitter.com/Frqh8tbnO1— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 17, 2024
Organized as part of the “Bellator Champions Series Paris”, the fight was initially supposed to pit Doumbé against the American Derek Anderson but the latter was forced to withdraw after being seriously injured in a motorcycle accident at the end of April. It was therefore ultimately another American, Jaleel Willis, 32 years old and with a record of 16 victories for 6 defeats now, who accepted the Doumbé challenge.
On Thursday, the traditional face-to-face between the two fighters almost ended in a fight, giving a taste of the atmosphere that awaited the public. The Frenchman now has six wins for one loss in MMA. He thus puts his trajectory back on track and should continue for his next fight with a renowned opponent in the person of Anthony Pettis, former UFC champion, who came to challenge him in the cage following his victory. .