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.
🚨 OFFICIAL: JAKE PAUL VS. CÉDRIC DOUMBÉ🚨 Global superstar Jake Paul returns to the ring against French combat sports icon and multi-time kickboxing world champion Cédric Doumbé in a blockbuster Christmas Eve showdown! 🎅 SANTA VS. THE GRINCH 🎄
— MVP - Most Valuable Promotions (@MostVpromotions) November 2, 2026
Tickets go ON SALE Sun, Nov… pic.twitter.com/cO4m19HXqH
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.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Jake Paul draws Cedric Doumbe for Christmas Eve boxing return in Dubai