PFL star Cedric Doumbe says UFC 'f*cked up' by releasing him before debut, doubts he'd sign again
Cedric Doumbe has all but closed the door on signing with the UFC in the future.
Doumbe (5-0) was expected to make his UFC debut in September 2022 against Darian Weeks in Paris, but the French commission wouldn’t sanction the fight because of the level of experience difference between the two. Doumbe later revealed that a medical issue was the primary reason he was pulled from the bout, and he was ultimately released from his contract before ever stepping foot in the octagon.
The two-time Glory welterweight champ then signed with PFL, putting on one of the most memorable promotional debuts when he knocked out Jordan Zebo in just nine seconds this past September. From his walkout to luring soccer stars such as Kylian Mbappe to attend, Doumbe sent the Paris crowd into a frenzy.
He believes the UFC dropped the ball.
“That makes me smile because they f*cked up,” Doumbe said on “The MMA Hour.” “They f*cked up, but I didn’t lose anything. They lost. So it is what it is, you know? Everything happens for a reason.
“I’m just doing my thing. I know I would do the same, maybe even better, maybe less in UFC, but I’m just doing my thing. Some people say that, ‘You will never have done that (walkout) with the mattress in UFC. They will never let you do this.’ So I’m better here (in PFL).”
Doumbe meets fellow undefeated French welterweight Baissangour Chamsoudinov (8-0) in the PFL Europe 1 main event March 7 at Accor Arena in Paris.
According to Doumbe, Accor Arena sold out 20,000 seats in just 20 minutes after his fight was announced. As for a future in the UFC, Doumbe thinks it’s highly unlikely at this point in his career.
“We never know for tomorrow, but I think 90 percent no,” Doumbe said. “Ninety percent no, because I’m not 20, I’m not 21. I’m not that younger fighter. So I think I’m more close to the end than the beginning, so I think I will not open the UFC door again. But we never know.”