Former Manchester United captain Patrice Evra is making a significant career change, swapping his soccer cleats for mixed martial arts gloves.
Promotional officials have confirmed that the former French National Soccer Team and Manchester United captain has signed a contract with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) to compete in mixed martial arts. Evra is set to make his amateur fighting debut on May 23rd at the Accor Arena in Paris, France.
An opponent for Evra`s first foray into combat sports has not yet been named.
The 43-year-old achieved considerable success on the soccer field throughout his career. This included being named to the prestigious PFA Team of the Year on three separate occasions. Evra was a key player for the globally recognized Manchester United team for nearly a decade, from 2005 to 2014.
In preparation for his transition to the PFL Smart Cage, Evra has been training alongside prominent French MMA fighter Cedric Doumbe. He even playfully suggested a potential opponent through a post on Twitter:
“BREAKING: I’m officially training for my first fight with PFL Europe,” Evra wrote. “They will pick my opponent. They asked who I wanna face. I said Luis Suarez. I’ll pay out of pocket, he can even bite me.”
The event where Evra will make his debut is headlined by a lightweight contest between Mansour Barnaoui and Archie Colgan. The fight card also features former UFC competitor Taylor Lapilus squaring off against Ali Taleb.