The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the fastest growing and most innovative sports league, today announced that Bellator Champions Series Paris on Friday, May 17 will now feature Cédric “The Best” Doumbé (5-1) in the co-main event against Derek Anderson (17-4, 1 NC).
A bonafide global phenomenon, Doumbé has also signed an exclusive, multi-year contract extension with PFL and will be making his Bellator debut on the heels of his appearance at PFL Europe Paris earlier this year. “The Best” will be taking on the 12-fight Bellator veteran nicknamed “Barbaric,” a winner in three out of his last four Bellator appearances.
"Re-signing Cedric Doumbe to a multi-year contract extension has been one of our highest priorities since he joined the promotion last year," PFL CEO Peter Murray said. "Cedric is a large part of our continued growth in France, and now he will compete at Bellator Champions Series Paris on a fight card that can be streamed by fans in the U.S. on Max, as he continues his trajectory through our global leagues."
Bellator Champions Series Paris streams live in the U.S. on Max, and in France, as well as the U.K. only on DAZN beginning at 5 pm CEST. The following week, truTV will re-air Bellator Champions Series Paris for U.S. viewers, with additional programming details to be shared in the coming weeks. Tickets for the event are on sale now at Accorarena.com.
In the main event of Bellator Champions Series Paris, current Bellator Bantamweight Champion Patchy Mix (19-1) returns to action against Magomed Magomedov (16-1). Mix and Magomedov renew a rivalry that began in 2022 at the Bellator Bantamweight World Grand Prix Semi Finals, a tournament Mix went on to win. A previously announced world championship bout pitting Usman Nurmagomedov against Alexander Shabliy has been scrapped from the card due to an injury to Nurmagomedov. The bout will be re-booked in the near future.
In addition to the main and co-main event, France’s GregoryBabene (23-11) will have an opportunity to secure a future Middleweight title shot with a win on May 17 against Holland’s Costello Van Steenis (14-3), and former Olympian and French Heavyweight, SlimTrabelsi (6-0) returns to Paris where he began his career as Francis Ngannou’s training partner. Trabelsi is set to face Scotland’s LouieSutherland (6-2) at Heavyweight.
The 2024 Bellator Champions Series schedule is as follows:
- Friday, May 17 – Bellator Champions Series Paris – Accor Arena
- Saturday, June 22 – Bellator Champions Series Dublin – 3Arena
- Saturday, September 7 – Bellator Champions Series San Diego – Pechanga Arena
- Saturday, September 14 – Bellator Champions Series London – OVO Wembley
- Saturday, October 12 – Bellator Champions Series Chicago – Wintrust Arena
- Saturday, November 16 – Bellator Champions Series Paris – ADIDAS Arena
- Tuesday, December 31 – Bellator Champions Series – TBD
Completed Bellator Champions Series Paris Main Card:
Max (U.S.) | DAZN (France & U.K.)
Friday, May 17 - 5 pm CEST
Bantamweight World Title Bout: C-Patchy Mix (19-1) vs. Magomed Magomedov (16-1)
Welterweight Co-Main Event Bout: Cédric Doumbé (5-1) vs. Derek Anderson (17-4, 1 NC)
Middleweight Contender’s Bout: Gregory Babene (23-11) vs. Costello van Steenis (14-3)
Featherweight Main Card Bout: Yves Landu (20-9) vs. Jonas Bilharinho (11-2-1)
Lightweight Main Card Bout: Archie Colgan (9-0) vs. Thibault Gouti (17-6)
Preliminary Card:
Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Slim Trabelsi (6-0) vs. Louie Sutherland (6-2)
Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Mansour Barnaoui (20-6) vs. Yusuke Yachi (26-13)
Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Imamshafi Aliev (9-0) vs. Mike Shipman (15-4)
Women’s Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Aspen Ladd (11-5) vs. Ekaterina Shakalova (8-1)
Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Asael Adjoudj (7) vs. Bruno Fontes (6-0)
