Jake Paul will face former GLORY kickboxing champion Cédric Doumbé in an eight-round cruiserweight fight on Thursday, December 24, at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, Most Valuable Promotions announced.

The Christmas Eve bout will be professionally sanctioned at 200 pounds, with both fighters wearing 10-ounce gloves.

Paul enters at 12-2 with seven knockouts. Doumbé has just one professional boxing bout on his record, a win, but brings considerable experience from kickboxing, where he went 75-7-1 with 45 knockouts and became a two-time GLORY welterweight champion.

Doumbé also holds a 6-1 MMA record, with all six victories coming by knockout. His nine-second finish of Jordan Zebo in September 2023 helped build his following in France, but December 24 puts him back under boxing rules against an opponent with more professional rounds in that sport.

Paul went straight at that distinction in his statement.

“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.”

The fight will be Paul’s first professional appearance in Dubai. He previously beat former MMA champions Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva, defeated Nate Diaz, and added a win over former middleweight titleholder Julio César Chávez Jr. in June 2025.

Doumbé aimed his response at Paul’s December 2025 fight with Anthony Joshua.

“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.”

Born in Cameroon and raised in France, Doumbé will meet Paul at two public press conferences before fight week. The first takes place at Pavillon Cambon in Paris on November 10 at 6 p.m. CET. A second follows in Dubai on November 12 at 6 p.m. GST. Both are free to attend.

General ticket sales open November 15 at noon GST, or 9 a.m. CET, through Coca-Cola Arena. Registered fans get presale access on November 14 at the same time, while PFL Dubai ticket purchasers have an earlier window beginning November 6.

MVP is staging the card in cooperation with Dubai Sports Council and Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism. No undercard bouts were named in the announcement.

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Boxing • Jake Paul • Jake Paul vs. Cédric Doumbé Announced for December 24 in Dubai