Cedric Doumbe, a Cameroonian-born French kickboxer and two-time GLORY welterweight champion, will make his promotional debut at UFC Paris this September.
Doumbe (2-0), who just recently made the jump to mixed martial arts, will fight Darian Weeks (5-2) at the event on September 3, 2022. Cageside Press confirmed the booking with a source familiar with the situation, following an initial report by Sherdog.
Following in the footsteps of fighters like Israel Adesanya, Gokhan Saki, and Alex Pereira, Doumbe will look to make the transition between sports and do so at the highest level. Both of his pro MMA fights have come inside the last 12 months; both have ended with TKO finishes (one by doctor’s stoppage).
In kickboxing, Doumbe holds wins over Nieky Holzken, Jimmy Vienot, and current UFC lightweight Brad Riddell. Winning that promotion’s welterweight title in 2016, he would lose the belt a year later to Murthel Groenhart — a loss he would avenge during his second reign as champion, which ran from 2019 until last year. Overall, Doumbe has a 75-7-1 record in kickboxing.
Needless to say, Darian Weeks is looking outgunned on the feet, and Doumbe’s takedown defense will likely be put to the test. A former LFA athlete, Weeks has lost both of his fights in the UFC thus far.
The UFC Paris card takes place on September 3, 2022 at the Accor Arena in Paris, France. The event marks the UFC’s debut in the country, and is expected to be headlined by French heavyweight Ciryl Gane taking on Australia’s Tai Tuivasa.
The UFC Paris card as reported to date features the following bouts:
- Ciryl Gane vs. Tai Tuivasa
- Robert Whittaker vs. Marvin Vettori
- Katlyn Chookagian vs. Manon Fiorot
- Alessio Di Chirico vs. Roman Kopylov
- Nassourdine Imavov vs. Joaquin Buckley
- Zarah Fairn Dos Santos vs. Ailin Perez
- John Makdessi vs. Nasrat Haqparast
- Makhmud Muradov vs. Abusupiyan Magomedov
- Christos Giagos vs. Benoit Saint-Denis
- Taylor Lapilus vs. Khalid Taha
- Darian Weeks vs. Cédric Doumbé
