Jake Paul to box Cedric Doumbe on Christmas Eve; Darren Till calls Paul 'a fraud'

Jake Paul will box former Glory welterweight champion Cedric Doumbe in Dubai on Thursday, Dec. 24, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) announced on Monday. The professional eight-round bout at Coca-Cola Arena has a 200-pound cruiserweight limit and 10-ounce gloves.

Darren Till, a former UFC title challenger, says he thought that date was his. On The Ariel Helwani Show on Monday he said, "It's just a fraudulent show," and added, "Jake's a fraud," Uncrowned reported. We found no response from Paul, his company MVP or its CEO, Nakisa Bidarian, as of Monday night.

This is Paul's first fight since Anthony Joshua knocked him out in the sixth round on Dec. 19, 2025, and broke his jaw. The BBC reports that he had two titanium plates fitted and some teeth removed. He said in May that his career was "most definitely" in doubt.

Till's side

"His team reached out to my team and said we want to make the Till fight," Till said, according to BJPenn.com. "I think we agreed on a price; it was going to be in Dubai, where I live."

He says he had been in camp for two weeks and that flying his coach out cost him about £5,000, which Uncrowned gives as $6,705. Then, he said, the Doumbe fight was announced "out of nowhere."

Only Till says a price was agreed, and he doesn't claim to have signed anything. Bidarian told Sun Sport that Till was "one of the names that we've been speaking to," EssentiallySports reported on Oct. 30. On Oct. 22 he wrote on X that MVP was negotiating with four potential opponents. Till told him to "send the contract," and Paul wrote, "Let's see who actually signs the contract."

In the release, Bidarian said Doumbe "has been calling to fight Jake Paul for several years" and that the timing "makes perfect sense."

Till's other complaint is size and boxing. "Cédric Doumbé's 170 pounds," he said, and "Jake Paul's 220, 225 pounds." He added, "He's not a f***ing boxer, mate."

Till went 6-5-1 in the UFC and lost his last three, to Robert Whittaker, Derek Brunson and Dricus Du Plessis. He closed as a −172 favourite (59%) against Brunson and an underdog in the other two. Since then he's beaten Luke Rockhold by knockout in boxing and won his first two BKFC fights, most recently outpointing Yoel Romero on Sept. 26.

The matchup

Doumbe, 34, is 75-7-1 in kickboxing and 6-1 in MMA, by MVP's count. His only pro boxing bout was a four-round points win over Mohamed Fodil in April 2015. He hasn't fought since May 17, 2024. He's signed to the PFL, which announced a merger with Paul's company on July 30.

Glory lists him at 76.5 kg, about 169 pounds. The 200-pound limit is about 31 pounds above that, and 25 above the catchweight of his last fight.

Paul, 29, is 12-2 with seven knockouts. He's 6-0 against MMA fighters and 4-2 against career boxers, losing to Tommy Fury and Joshua.

In the release, Doumbe said, "I'm going to finish the job Joshua started." Paul's message to him: "this isn't kickboxing mon ami. This is BOXING."

BetOnline opened Paul at −500 and Doumbe at +340, according to Boxing News. That's about a 79% chance for Paul with the margin removed.

We think Till's complaint about the matchup is stronger than his complaint about the deal, since nobody else has confirmed a price. Doumbe has one pro boxing bout, and he'll be more than two years out of competition. We don't know how Paul's jaw will hold up, because it hasn't been tested in a fight since Joshua broke it.

What's next

MVP has press conferences set for Paris on Nov. 10 and Dubai on Nov. 12, with general ticket sales on Nov. 15. It says the undercard and broadcaster will be announced in the coming weeks. Boxing News, citing the New York Post, says the fight won't air on Netflix.

Uncrowned says Till's next fight will likely be in BKFC. As for Paul, Till left it with him: "If you want to fight me next year, fight me next year."