Paul Opens as a -500 Favorite Over Doumbe

Jake Paul is a heavy favorite over Cedric Doumbe. BetOnline.ag opened Paul at -500 and Doumbe at +340 for the Christmas Eve fight in Dubai.

Reading the prices

A -500 price means a bettor has to risk $500 to win $100. The +340 price pays $340 on a $100 stake. These are opening numbers, so they can change.

Paul's last fight and the two records

Paul is 12-2 with seven knockouts. This is his first fight since Anthony Joshua broke his jaw last year in Miami.

Doumbe is 1-0 as a boxer, with one knockout. He has more than 70 kickboxing fights and a 6-1 record in MMA. His last fight came in May 2024 under the Bellator banner.

Size on the scale

The report suggests size is the likely reason for the line. Paul is four inches taller and has four more inches of reach, and he usually weighs 30 to 40 pounds more than Doumbe.

The report also notes that Paul has been an underdog only once in his career, by design. That fight ended with him spending several days in the hospital.

What the promoter said

Nakisa Bidarian, CEO of Most Valuable Promotions, said Paul is "charging all the way back in" against a multi-time world kickboxing champion. He added that Doumbe has been calling for the fight for years and that the timing makes sense.

Still unannounced

The undercard for the Dec. 24 event has not been announced. A streaming partner has not been secured either.

Our View

A price this lopsided may come down mostly to size, and it is no proof of how the fight plays out. Doumbe has one boxing bout against Paul's 12-2 record. A move in the line would show how bettors weigh that gap, but the report gives no sign yet of where it will go.

Source: MMA Mania