“We never saw him at UFC Paris” - Cédric Doumbé spills the beans on his special relationship with PSG star Kylian Mbappé

Cédric Doumbé is coming off a star-making performance that has made him the talk of the town in the MMA community. This past Saturday, he took on Jordan Zébo at PFL Europe 3, which took place in his adopted homeland of France, a country that welcomed him at the tender age of 9.

In front of a crowd of his fellow countrymen, Cédric Doumbé made quick work of his foe, knocking him out within 9 seconds of the first round. But, more than the knockout itself, fans and the MMA community as a whole were stunned by the presence of PSG star Kylian Mbappé, one of the most athletes in the world.

Like many in attendance, Mbappé was left jaw-dropped by the knockout, and his reaction went viral. In the aftermath of his win, Cédric Doumbé took part in an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, where he touched on his relationship with Mbappé, saying the following:

"Last time I had a FaceTime with him, and he told me that he don't know nothing about MMA, but he would wake up at five for me if I fight in USA. He heard that I would fight in Paris. Usually, he never comes to this kind of event. We never saw him at UFC Paris, two times. But this one he said, 'Cédric Doumbé, I have to be there.' He even got a soccer match that night, and after his match, he took the plane with all the team, and they came. They all wanted to watch that fight."

The two men are of similar stock, being hyper-successful athletes at the top of the sport, as well as being Frenchmen of Cameroonian descent.

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What happened between Cédric Doumbé and the UFC?

The two-time Glory welterweight kickboxing champion had signed with the UFC last year and was scheduled to face Darian Weeks at UFC Fight Night 229, which was held in Paris. Unfortunately, the French MMA Federation refused to sanction the bout due to Doumbé's inexperience.

According to them, a fighter with less than 10 MMA bouts cannot be sanctioned to fight anyone with more than a four-fight differential between them. A subsequent MRI indicated blood in his brain, causing him to fail the UFC medical. After allegedly being lowballed by the UFC, he was released and signed with the PFL.