Jake Paul to face Cédric Doumbé in Dubai on Christmas Eve in eight-round bout

The bout and its setting

Jake Paul is scheduled to box Cédric Doumbé on 24 December at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Most Valuable Promotions announced the bout on Monday, 2 November, as a professionally sanctioned eight-round cruiserweight contest at 200 pounds with 10-ounce gloves. Paul, who holds a 12-2 record with seven knockouts, is returning after a year out of the ring. His last fight was a stoppage loss to Anthony Joshua in December 2025, when he was knocked down twice before being stopped in the sixth round. The fight is set to be streamed on Netflix, as Paul's earlier bouts were.

Paul's jaw and his return

The Joshua fight left Paul with a double break to his jaw that required two surgeries. The BBC reports he had two titanium plates fitted and some teeth removed. In May he said his boxing career was in doubt, and he has said his doctor advised him not to box again. Paul is returning regardless of that advice. The promotion behind the bout, Most Valuable Promotions, was co-founded by Paul and Nakisa Bidarian and merged with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) in July 2026.

Doumbé's background

Doumbé, 34, is a Frenchman born in Cameroon. His kickboxing record stands at 75 wins, seven losses and one draw, with 45 knockouts. Sources differ on his titles: Telegraaf calls him a seven-time GLORY welterweight world champion, while The New York Times describes him as a two-time GLORY welterweight champion. He moved into MMA in 2021 and has won two of his three fights since joining the PFL in 2023. That year he knocked out Jordan Zébo after nine seconds, the fastest knockout in PFL history. His only professional boxing bout came in 2015, a win over Mohamed Fodil.

Words before the fight

In the press release announcing the fight, Paul said:

“But guess what, this isn't kickboxing, mon ami. This is BOXING.”

Paul also compared his approach to Oleksandr Usyk's 2026 bout against Rico Verhoeven, a kickboxer who had moved into boxing. Doumbé answered in the same release that Joshua's work on Paul's jaw would be finished off by him.

“I'm going to finish the job Joshua started.”

Press conferences are planned in Paris and Dubai before the bout, where both men are expected to face each other in person.