PFL CEO confirms interest in booking Cedric Doumbe against former UFC champion: “They both want to fight”

PFL CEO Peter Murray is serious about putting Cedric Doumbe vs. Anthony Pettis together.

‘The Beast’ has the potential to be the Donn Davis-led promotion’s first massive star. A former two-time Glory Kickboxing champion, he was heavily pursued by the UFC. However, he was released from the company in early 2023, for various reasons after a brief stint. Later in the year, Cedric Doumbe signed with the PFL. In late September, made his debut for the company.

With stars such as Kylian Mbappe on hand for his promotional debut, Cedric Doumbe scored a nine-second knockout win over Jordan Zebo. The highlight-reel stoppage quickly went viral, as many PFL fighters also took notice. One of those names was former UFC lightweight champion, Anthony Pettis.

‘Showtime’ quickly called to face Cedric Doumbe in a massive PFL bout. In the months since then, various reports have emerged about the potential contest. However, with silence from the former kickboxer and Anthony Pettis about it, the reports appeared to be unfounded. Until now that is.

In a recent interview with Grind City Media‘s John Morgan, PFL CEO Peter Murray was asked about the bout. There, he confirmed interest in putting Cedric Doumbe vs. Anthony Pettis together. While he didn’t provide any date for the contest, the executive stated that it would take place in the latter half of 2024.

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Image via: @showtimepettis on Instagram

PFL CEO Peter Murray shows interest in booking Cedric Doumbe vs. Anthony Pettis

“Yeah, I mean, Cedric, fans in Paris will see him for sure compete with the PFL in Paris early this year,” PFL executive Peter Murray stated in a recent interview with John Morgan. “And the Anthony Pettis-Doumbe conversation, it’s a real one. They both want to fight, and we’ll put it together.”

He continued, “I think it’ll be fun. [It] would be the latter part of this year.”

In the event that Cedric Doumbe vs. Anthony Pettis comes to fruition, it would be the first MMA fight for ‘Showtime’ since 2022. The former UFC champion last suffered a defeat at the hands of Stevie Ray that August at PFL 7. The defeat was his second in a row to ‘Braveheart’, previously losing by submission.

Since then, Anthony Pettis has been busy in other sports. Last April, the former UFC champion scored a decision win over Roy Jones Jr. in the boxing ring and later competed in Karate Combat. Last December, he reignited his feud with Benson Henderson, winning by unanimous decision.

While he’s had success in other disciplines, it seems that the former champion will now return to the PFL for a date with Cedric Doumbe. If the Frenchman defeats Pettis, it would be by far the biggest win of his brief MMA career thus far.

What do you make of this news? Are you interested in seeing a fight between Cedric Doumbe and Anthony Pettis? Who do you have in that potential PFL clash?