The long-awaited shock was a flop. After a surprising and contested decision by the referee, Thursday March 7, at the Accor Arena in Paris, as part of the Professional Fighters League Europe (PFL), the fight between Cédric Doumbé and Baysangur “Baki” Chamsoudinov ended in an ubiquitous way, with a victory for Baki. “I don’t know what to say,” Doumbé said, annoyed, to the spectators. I'm very disappointed that it ended like this. »
This Franco-French poster, between two fighters particularly popular with the public, had been awaited for months. Especially since the two rivals had provoked each other on social networks, whetting the appetite of MMA fans for this confrontation.
While he remained on a victory in nine seconds against Jordan Zebo, Doumbé, 31, announced favorite, had a lot to do against Baki, 22, considered a great hope in the discipline.
The fight started on high ground and in an overheated atmosphere, but it ended abruptly after twenty-one seconds in the third round after Doumbé complained about a piece of glass embedded in a toe of his foot. LEFT.
The one who nicknamed himself “The Best” made it known that he wanted to continue the fight, but the referee put an end to the proceedings, to the whistles of the public. A disappointing outcome for the approximately 15,000 spectators present, including an eclectic panel of celebrities, from Gérard Lanvin to Kaaris, including François Civil, Jamel Debbouze and Tony Parker.
The atmosphere, relatively lukewarm at the start of the event, had nevertheless warmed up as the fights progressed, reaching its climax with the entry on stage of Doumbé and Baki, protagonists of the main fight of the card.
Baki “on [his] hunger”
The fans were undoubtedly hoping for an epic duel between the two rivals, on the occasion of the PFL's second visit to Paris, the evening therefore ending in a mess. The American league, which hopes, ultimately, to compete with the UFC (for “Ultimate Fighting Championship”), the most prestigious MMA organization, would undoubtedly also have preferred another scenario and therefore another advertisement.
“I’m disgusted the referee stopped the fight. I explained to him that I didn't want to stop, I wanted to fight, explained Doumbé, who enjoys immense popularity with fans. I wanted it to be my evening, for us all to enjoy it together with the French public, so for it to end like this is disappointing. »
Despite his victory, Baki, who owes his nickname to Baki Hanma, a manga hero with extraordinary physical abilities, also admitted to “staying hungry”. “Unforeseen events are part of the fight,” he said. The body is something that is constantly evolving. I see a fight as a battlefield, so an injury is part of the fight. »
Announced in mid-January, the poster was immediately sold out. Both fighters have both stated their desire to meet again in the octagon. “Maybe we can have a revenge, but we will have to line up the tickets,” warned Baki, in front of spectators who had still paid, when the tickets went on sale, between 45 and 450 euros, for the seats closest to the cage.
A little earlier, in the other expected fight of the evening, another darling of French MMA, Abdoul Abdouraguimov, alias “The Lazy King”, won in a split decision from the judges against the Briton Jack Grant.
