Jake Paul draws Cedric Doumbe for Christmas Eve boxing return in Dubai - MMA Junkie

Jake Paul will face a decorated combat sports athlete in his boxing return.

Most Valuable Promotions announced Monday that Paul (12-2, 7 KOs) meets former Glory Kickboxing champion and PFL standout Cedric Doumbe in an eight-round cruiserweight bout Dec. 24 at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.

Paul returns after breaking his jaw in a knockout loss to Anthony Joshua in December 2025. Prior to that, he scored wins over a slew of notable MMA fighters such as Anderson Silva, Nate Diaz and Tyron Woodley, as well as boxing legend Mike Tyson, which drew a reported 125 million streaming viewers.

Doumbe has only boxed professionally once, picking up a win in April 2015. He excelled in his kickboxing career, in which he became a two-time Glory Kickboxing champion, before transitioning to MMA. He is 6-1 in MMA, but hasn't competed since finishing Jaleel Willis by Round 1 TKO at Bellator Champions Series 2 in May 2024.

“Cedric 'Douchebag' was calling me out two years ago after knocking some dude out in 9 seconds," Paul said in a news 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. ... 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.”

“Jake Paul calls himself the 'Problem Child,' but he's never faced a problem like me," Doumbe said in a release. "He has no idea what a Frenchman is capable of ... 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.”