Headliners of PFL Paris 2, the American organization’s main competitor to the UFC, Cédric Doumbé and Baysangur Chamsoudinov face each other this evening, March 7 at the Accor Hôtel Arena in Bercy. This is the most anticipated Franco-French fight since the legalization of mixed martial arts in France four years ago. A real duel between the king of attacks on social networks and the rising star of the discipline in France, their first meeting could only be electric.
4 mins
Congregated at the back of an annex room of the Accor Arena in Bercy, the hundreds of supporters who came on Wednesday March 6 at the end of the afternoon to attend the press conference waited a long time under the high-powered speakers playing on a loop of techno music before seeing their heroes. The first arrives from the right, to some boos from the fans, but seems impassive. Baki, as he calls himself, is not here to joke. Two rooms, two atmospheres when a few seconds later, his opponent, the Franco-Cameroonian star of social networks, Cédric Doumbé enters with a broad smile, supported by a delirious crowd.
“Baki is a good one”
It must be said that both fighters had been waiting for this moment for a long time, but not for the same reasons. The younger of the two has conquered almost everything at ARES, a French MMA organization, and discovers for the first time the exhilaration of American evenings. His opponent is no longer his first attempt. Multiple world kickboxing champion at Glory, Doumbé perfectly manages his transition to MMA, 5 fights, 5 KOs. Performances in and outside the cage which have attracted an ever-widening audience, ready to do anything to follow him. But at what cost could a defeat taint his popularity? A question quickly brushed aside by the native of Douala, in his own way: “ There’s no talking, no laughing, I’m not going to lose. I’ve been training for years, it’s water. 20,000 people is water. Baki is water. I’ve been doing this all my life. I know I’m going to turn it off » he insists.
Aiming to be victorious whatever happens is the strategy used by the Doumbé clan, formidable on social networks with videos exceeding a million views on YouTube. It’s also a way of gaining psychological influence over one’s opponent, something that doesn’t seem to work with the young, imperturbable Baysangur Chamsoudinov: “ There is nothing that fits in my head, I discern between the real and the virtual » he explains a little annoyed before adding: “ I just have to fight a man for 5 minutes over 3 rounds. There’s nothing that fits in my head “.
An assurance that the fighter of Chechen origin, who wears a completely white tracksuit outfit for the occasion, takes it to the extreme, which earned him a few whistles from the crowd: “ It’s an affordable fight for me, it will bring me a lot of media coverage, but sportingly, he’s a guy who comes from another discipline. He is no better than my other opponents. I’m going to win and go home “. Audacity, everything that Cédric Doumbé ultimately appreciates, who did not hesitate to highlight his rival, despite rumors of deep disagreement between the two men: “ I have no animosity towards Baki, I have nothing against him. He is a young man who has potential. It’s nothing personal “.
A three-minute face-to-face
Very active during the question-and-answer session, the public did not miss a beat of the official weigh-in and the face-to-face meeting between the two men. During his last fight against Jordan Zébo, won by knockout in 9 seconds at the Zénith in Paris, Cédric Doumbé had offered him a cushion before the fight, this time, he played it more sober. Another surprise, a pair of sunglasses, which the recipient decided to give to a fan. Relaxed, the two men got down to business, shirtless, just after their weigh-in applauded by the crowd. A first duel of gazes, intense, in a cathedral silence. The two men no longer let go of each other despite the gestures of the photographers amused by this funny situation. And as if that wasn’t enough, the public was treated to a second, even more tense face-to-face. Neither wanted to look down, which promises Bercy: “ I hope you’ll set the fire, because it’s going to be a mentally ill evening for Baki, for me, for all French people. We have to set the fire, we have to show the Americans that we have a crazy audience » said Cédric Doumbé in front of a crowd celebrating each of his sentences.
The stage is set for mixed martial arts fans to experience a historic evening in Bercy, marked by this clash between two of the best French fighters.