We had imagined all the scenarios.
But not this one.
Was Cédric Doumbè going to keep his promise and “extinguish” Baysangur Chamsoudinov in the second round?
Was “Baki” going to surprise the world and defeat the darling of the Accor Arena?
Both options were plausible, but an MMA fight often offers many surprises.
In front of 20,000 furious people, some standing on their chairs, it was ultimately a very small splinter, barely a few millimeters, which put an end to one of the most anticipated fights in the history of the discipline in France.
Cédric Doumbè is probably still wondering what happened to him.
As he began to gain the upper hand over his opponent, after being dominated during the first round, “The Best” felt something in his foot.
A piece of glass?
A splinter?
He doesn't know it yet.
On the other hand, he hurts, very hurts.
And he turns towards the referee so he can take it away.
He refuses, and forces him to continue the fight.
What follows is a very short exchange, lasting only a few seconds, between the two fighters.
“Cédric first complained to the referee, he told him to continue the fight,” Baki said after his success.
He says it again, then says it in French.
I told him to take off what was on his foot.
I tried to help him by asking the referee to take it away from him because I wanted a real fight.
Cedric complained again and the referee stopped it.
»
Cédric Doumbè was still complaining about his splinter in his foot after the fight.
(Photo FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
“Unforeseen events are part of the fight”
It took no less to make the room hysterical.
Ebullient since the start of the evening, almost completely committed to the cause of Cédric Doumbè, the public at the Accor Arena was heard one last time with a deafening bronca.
The thousands of fans, massed around the cage or in the stands, dropped their phones to put their hands together and booed copiously the referee of this fight, the very renowned Mark Goddard.
“I am disappointed because I often saw this type of decision on television, with the same referee, and I hoped that it would never happen to me,” regrets the former kickboxing world champion at a press conference.
I'm disappointed because I wanted to please the public, my family who was there, it was my Bercy dream.
I wanted it to be my evening, our evening, that we all enjoy together.
It's disappointing.
»
Baki didn't care.
“Unforeseen events are part of the fight,” he stressed.
In my mentality, on the battlefield, sometimes you have to continue even if you break something or have a thorn in your side.
The body is constantly evolving, you can put up a fight while having a bad day.
But that's the art of fighting, being able to fight anytime, anywhere, in any condition.
»
An impressive cast of stars
On the forecourt of the Accor Arena, a few minutes after this astonishing epilogue, disappointment is nevertheless on everyone's lips.
Because after having won a round each, the two fighters are preparing to compete in a third round of rare intensity.
It finally died in the bud.
However, a revenge has already been mentioned by the two French people, Cédric Doumbè even hoping to establish it in May.
But you'll have to pay the price, because Baki won't accept so easily, even if he admits to being "unsatisfied", like the rest of the public.
All the ingredients were there to make the party complete.
In a packed house, all the places having sold out in 20 minutes, the start of the evening was particularly spectacular.
The knockout of the Englishman Conor Hugues electrified the public for the first time, before Patrick Habirora added his madness to set the Accor Arena ablaze.
With his spectacular style and his Luffy hat, the hero of the One Piece manga, the Belgian has put the whole of France in his pocket.
And not only that, since the PFL was amazed by his fight, and would like to see him again quickly.
Patrick Habirora's joy after his unanimous decision victory.
(Photo Baptiste Fernandez/Icon Sport) 2024 Icon Sport
As the evening progressed, the excitement continued to build.
The number of stars at cageside has also increased significantly.
Jules Koundé, Layvin Kurzawa, Tony Parker, Cameron Woki, Vincent Cassel, Jamel Debbouze, Kaaris and Mister V notably came to attend the show, willingly taking part in the photo game with the spectators, despite the ongoing fights.
A rather sober entry from Doumbè
This joyous celebration, however, stopped when the “Lazy King”, Abdoul Abdouraguimov, entered the octagon.
Smiling as usual, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist did his best to overcome the Briton Jack Grant, also from this discipline.
Supported by the public, who only had eyes for him and his fight, the Nantes native of Dagestani origin finally won the split decision, then leaving the cage available for the long-awaited fight.
The entrance of Cédric Doumbè, also particularly scrutinized by the spectators, who had all taken out their phones, was less fanciful than the previous one.
Last September, "The Best" entered with a mattress, on which one could read "Jordan, you're dead", in reference to his opponent Jordan Zébo.
This time, he remained more sober, with only a sound production, on the theme of the hospital, his axis of provocations for several weeks.
An unusual restraint that he will surely abandon after this failure against Baki.