On May 23 at the Accor Arena in Paris, Patrice Evra will make his MMA debut after his shock signing to the PFL.
The 43-year-old soccer legend announced his retirement in 2019 having achieved great things in his career as a former Champions League winner.
He’s now set to step into the SmartCage years after Evra impressed Michael ‘Venom’ Page with his boxing skills having been a fan of combat sports for many years.
His star status has also allowed him to connect with some of the biggest names in the sport with a video being released of Evra receiving a call from Khabib Nurmagomedov after the news was made official.
Along with ‘The Eagle’, the former Manchester United man has also enlisted the help of some PFL stars, one of which he credits with inspiring this move.
Patrice Evra says Cedric Doumbe’s PFL fights inspired him to sign with the promotion and make his MMA debut
Before his MMA debut was made official, Patrice Evra had already been spending some time with one of the biggest stars in French combat sports, Cedric Doumbe.
The accomplished kickboxer has become one of the biggest names in the PFL since he debuted back in 2023 with the PFL Europe’s events in France proving to be a real highlight for the promotion in recent years.
His debut where he knocked out Jordan Zebo in just nine seconds immediately showed that there was something special happening between Doumbe and the French fans.
In a recent interview with PFL Europe, Evra mentioned the French striker’s previous bouts in the capital as something that drew him to the sport.
“It’s something I always wanted to do. I watch it and you know Cedric Doumbe, the show he did in Paris, it was just amazing and I like entertainment but I love also discipline.”
Doumbe’s fights have been known to attract some of the biggest names in soccer but now, they won’t just be watching from the side of the SmartCage.
Evra went on to reference the PFL’s 2023 debut in Paris when he was later asked why he chose to sign with the promotion over going elsewhere.
“A lot of people, they told me the atmosphere in Paris for the Cedric Doumbe versus Jordan [Zebo], they say many people, they never feel this kind of atmosphere. So, [it] is [an] obvious choice.
“First fight, where I grew up, my town, my country. I want also for the French people to see me another way. I was the captain of France, national team of football, and now, they’re going to see me in the cage.”
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Patrice Evra pumps the breaks on him fighting at the iconic home of Manchester United
Though we don’t see many of them, for many fighters, competing at a huge open air stadium is the stuff of dreams, especially for athletes who are sport fans.
Patrice Evra played for several big clubs but his career will always be closely associated with Manchester United after he spent eight years at the English giant, making 273 appearances.
When he was asked in the interview whether he dreams of making the walk for an MMA fight at United’s stadium, Old Trafford, he joked that his current ambitions are a lot smaller than that right now.
“No, I think it’s too early for that guys. Even a fight in my living room is more than enough. It’s step-by-step. Like I say, it’s the same when I did my coach license, you have to be humble.
“Maybe you’ve been a top player or whatever, but when I come to a new discipline, I need to go step-by-step. For me, it’s already a dream, a privilege, at the Accor Arena in Paris.”