Jake Paul will face off with Cedric Doumbe in his return to boxing on Dec. 24 at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, MVP announced Monday. Peul vs. Doumbe will be an eight-round match contested in the cruiserweight division (200 pounds) with 10-oz gloves.
The promotion has yet to announce broadcast details for the event.
Paul last entered the boxing ring in December 2025, suffering the first knockout loss of his professional career against heavyweight veteran Anthony Joshua. Paul fractured his jaw in the process
and required two surgeries to fix the damage.
The Youtube sensation, 12-2 as a pro boxer, was riding a six-fight winning streak in boxing prior to the setback, topping the likes of Mike Tyson, Mike Perry and Nate Diaz.
“Cédric Douchebag was calling me out two years ago after knocking some dude out in 9 seconds,” Paul stated in a release. “Well Douchebag, now you get your chance. I’m rusty, my jaw is janky and I don’t have kickboxing world titles like you do. But guess what, this isn’t kickboxing mon ami. This is boxing. Just like Usyk feasted on Rico Verhoeven, I am going to eat you for dinner in Dubai on Christmas Eve and have a Coca-Cola at the arena to celebrate.
“You like to talk a lot, so let’s see what you have to say in person at the press conferences next week in Paris and Dubai. To the proud people of France, excuse-moi for what I am about to do, but your son has been naughty and he’s going to get punished. To all the fans in Dubai and all of MENA…we are doing this and we are doing it big, like Dubai always does. I’m back.”
Doumbe, 6-1 in MMA with a 100 percent knockout rate, is one of the most decorate kickboxers to ever transition to mixed martial arts, a run that includes 45 knockouts and two titles won inside the GLORY ring.
Doumbe fought twice in PFL, winning with a nine-second knockout and the suffering a freak defeat with a bizarre injury caused by a splinter. His last MMA appearance took place under the Bellator banner in May 2024, when he stopped Jaleel Willis in one round.
“Jake Paul calls himself the Problem Child, but he’s never faced a problem like me,” Doumbe stated in a release. “He has no idea what a Frenchman is capable of, and on Thursday, December 24 in Dubai, I’m going to eat ‘El Poulet’ for dinner. Jake loves to talk, and so do I, but after what Joshua did to his jaw, I’m not sure how much talking he has left. I’m going to finish the job Joshua started. Dubai is a special city to me, and on Christmas Eve, I’ll be waving le Tricolore over his unconscious body. France, this one’s for you.”
