Jake Paul to Face Former Kickboxing World Champion on Christmas Eve

Jake Paul's return to the boxing ring is now officially set. We knew he was set to compete in Abu Dhabi on Christmas Eve, but when this information was announced last week, we didn't have an opponent. Now we know who will stand across from Paul in Abu Dhabi.

It will be Cedric Doumbe, the former Glory Kickboxing welterweight champion and seven-fight MMA veteran. The Frenchman has had a single professional boxing match, going to points across five rounds.

Jake Paul vs Cedric Doumbe Set for December

Paul's return to the ring comes one year on from his brutal knockout at the hands of two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. 'The Problem Child' got the fight that many people believed would be impossible and survived for several rounds, dropping to his knees whenever he got close to AJ before suffering a brutal knockout which saw Paul's jaw broken.

Plenty thought that this would mark the end of his boxing career; however, the former Disney star is returning to the squared circle to mix it up once again. We know he's pursuing a fight with Mexican megastar Canelo Alvarez, but first he must get past a tough test in Doumbe.

Doumbe has a professional kickboxing record of 75-7-1, including 45 knockouts, and his power isn't to be underestimated. His MMA record sits at 7-1, with his only loss coming in strange circumstances when he had a splinter in his toe, which saw the fight prematurely stopped. 

The Frenchman went viral for his nine-second knockout over Jordan Zebo, which captured fans' interest in his MMA career.

On the Fight

On the fight itself, Paul said: "Cedric was calling me out two years ago after knocking some dude out in nine seconds. Well, now you get your chance. 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. Just like Usyk feasted on Rico Verhoeven, I am going to eat you for dinner in Dubai on Christmas Eve."

Commenting on the fight, the former PFL star clapped back, saying, "Jake Paul calls himself the Problem Child, but he's never faced a problem like me. 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."

The build-up to this one is going to be exciting.