Cedric Doumbe hopes to see anybody but Marc Goddard refereeing his fights as he moves forward in PFL and Bellator.
Back in March, Doumbe suffered his first MMA loss after a splinter lodged into his foot and the fight was stopped after he requested time to remove it. Goddard signaled there are no timeouts, but when Doumbe didn’t engage with his opponent, the veteran referee waved off the fight and called a stoppage in the third round.
Less than two months removed from that incident, Doumbe already has his next fight booked at the upcoming Bellator Paris card on May 17. While he’s not going to throw a fit over it, the former GLORY kickboxing champion definitely plans on anybody other than Goddard to referee his fight.
“I know it’s not good to say out loud, but I don’t like that guy anymore,” Doumbe told MMA Fighting during a media conference call. “I liked him before. He was the referee in my first MMA fight in Dubai. I liked him, but now I don’t like him anymore.
“It’s not the first time he does this type of decision, he makes these types of [mistakes] inside the octagon. Of course, I will ask if I can choose — not choose but I will ask if I can get another referee for my fight. If not, it is what it is. I don’t care, but I don’t like the guy. I will never like the guy anymore, I think.”
Since signing with PFL, Doumbe has quickly become one of the most talked about and hyped fighters on the roster, but the bizarre circumstances surrounding that loss left a bad taste in his mouth.
He’s often proclaimed that he’s the face of French MMA and the only fighter from France who’s capable of selling out arenas in record time — a feat he knows even UFC stars like Ciryl Gane couldn’t pull off.
Considering the way his previous fight ended in such disappointing fashion, Doumbe acknowledges that he needs to put on a show for the Paris crowd when he returns for his next performance against Bellator veteran Jaleel Willis.
“Of course, I feel that pressure for every fight,” Doumbe said. “Because as you know, I talk a lot and I always have to back it up. Because I don’t like to talk for nothing. I don’t like to talk shit. I like to back it up. As I said, and as everybody knows in France, I am the face of French MMA. So I feel that pressure.
“Before being a fighter, I’m a showman. That’s what I love to do. To put on the show for the French crowd, for everybody around the world. I hope you guys are ready. We’ve been working a lot for this.”
Despite the ill feelings that consumed him after that loss in March, Doumbe remains in good spirits heading into his next matchup on May 17.
He even managed to inject a little humor when addressing his next opponent and his plans to entertain the crowd in Paris.
“I just don’t want Jaleel to pray that a splinter gets in the cage this time,” Doumbe said with a laugh. “I hope it’s going to be good. I hope it’s not going to be Marc Goddard again as the referee. Then we can make a good fight and that’s it.”
