Jake Paul to fight MMA star Cedric Doumbe

Key points

• Jake Paul will fight MMA star Cedric Doumbe on December 24 in Dubai in an eight-round cruiserweight bout.
• Paul returns a year after Anthony Joshua broke his jaw in two places with a sixth-round knockout.
• Doumbe, a Cameroon-born Frenchman, was a kickboxing world champion before becoming an MMA fighter.

Jake Paul will face mixed martial arts star Cedric Doumbe on December 24 in Dubai, his promotion company Most Valuable Promotions announced. The company described the fight as a "professionally sanctioned 8-round cruiserweight bout".

The 29-year-old Paul returns to the ring a year after former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua broke his jaw in two places. Joshua stopped Paul in the sixth round in Miami last December, and the American needed surgery afterwards.

Paul's boxing record

Paul began his professional boxing career in 2020 and has fought mainly at the 200-pound (90.7kg) cruiserweight class. He has won 12 of his 14 fights, including a victory over 58-year-old Mike Tyson in 2024.

After the loss to Joshua, Paul dropped out of the World Boxing Association cruiserweight rankings.

professionally sanctioned 8-round cruiserweight bout

— Most Valuable Promotions

Who is Cedric Doumbe

Doumbe is a Cameroon-born Frenchman who was a kickboxing world champion and now competes in MMA. He will meet Paul in what will be Paul's first fight since the Joshua defeat.