Welterweight
Oualy Tandia 4-0Â
The IMMAF generation phenomenon, one of the fighters with the best amateur careers in France, was already making headlines thanks to his trash talk even before his professional debut. Oualy Tandia made a name for himself as an amateur by collecting belts in PEF, AEC, HFC, and Cage Warriors Academy, and by finishing 3rd at the IMMAF World Championships. He ended his amateur career with an impressive record of 25–3, including 18 finishes, making his professional debut one of the main attractions of French MMA in 2025.
However, his pro debut was disappointing: a labored win against Christopher Drouillard-Odena in his first fight and a controversial decision against Rivaldo Pereira began to dent his hype. He nevertheless bounced back by scoring two big knockouts against Sahel Walizada and Alix Jean Guillaume. His spectacular and aggressive striking has ultimately translated well to the professional ranks, and if he can keep up this momentum, he should become an international fan favorite.
This strong winning streak has made him the next title challenger against champion Mathieu Chaumont (9–3), whom he will face in February. This fight is a huge test for Oualy, and a victory could open the doors to the DWCS. As such, this bout will be one of the major French MMA events of 2026 and could crown Oualy Tandia as the top European prospect he claims to be.
Cedric Doumbé 6-1
I said in the introduction that I wouldn’t talk about PFL fighters, but I’m making an exception here. Is it really necessary to introduce Cédric Doumbé? A seven-time Glory world champion and one of the greatest kickboxers of all time, his MMA debut was highly anticipated. His trash talk and arrogance quickly turned him into a massive star of French MMA. His knockouts at the MMA GP sealed his status as the most hyped French fighter of 2023. While everyone hoped to see him sign with the UFC—where he could have faced the world’s best fighters, many of whom he had heavily trash-talked—he ultimately signed with the PFL.
His debut against Jordan Zebo was one of the major events of 2023, his first real career test against a fighter known for his wrestling. The result: a 7-second knockout that went viral, confirming his star status in French MMA. Non-French fans cannot fully understand the impact of that KO—social media literally exploded, people were shouting in the streets, “Jordan, you’re dead,” and Cédric Doumbé became the topic of the moment. This continued with his fight against Baki, a long-standing rivalry that finally reached its conclusion in March 2024. The hype around that fight was enormous, probably far greater than for Cyril Gane’s title fights or even Imavov vs. Adesanya. That highly anticipated bout ended frustratingly with the infamous splinter incident, which dealt a serious blow to Doumbé’s reputation.
After that, he bounced back quickly by knocking out the tough Jaleel Willis at Bellator Paris. Despite this, his hype was still damaged by the fight against Baki. And since then—nothing. Doumbé has been slowed down by injuries for the past year and a half, and he has been seen more on TV sets and comedy shows than inside a cage or in training. He is expected to return in 2026, but no one knows whether he is even training to prepare for that comeback. Despite all this, he remains at the center of discussions—Thad Jean notably called him out after his victory in the PFL tournament, proving that he is still a big name within the organization.
Cédric Doumbé’s career feels like a wasted opportunity. 2026 will be a pivotal year for him: will he manage to relaunch himself, regain his hype, and go after the PFL belt, or will he definitively walk away from MMA and move into comedy?
Honorable mentions:
- Amaury Wako (4-0)
- Wissame Akhmouch (7-2)
- Mahamadou Soukouna (4-1)
- Hugo Boigeol (1-1)
- Nelson Kasende (2-1)