Former Manchester United soccer star to make MMA debut at PFL Paris following recent legal issues

Val Dewar

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Former Manchester United soccer star to make MMA debut at PFL Paris following recent legal issues image

Patrice Evra anchored the left side for one of the most decorated teams in the history of soccer, Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United, as one of the best left fullbacks of his generation.

However that is not enough for the five-time Premier League winner, who retired in 2019 and is now 43 years old.

The French international footballer will make his mixed martial arts debut at the upcoming PFL Paris event on Friday, Mar 23rd, according to the promotion.

He has been training with former kickboxing champion and current PFL MMA star  Cédric Doumbé in preparation for the bout.

There is as yet no word on his opponent, but if Patrice had a choice it would be Luis Suarez, the Uruguayan striker famous for his goalscoring...and for biting opponents during matches.

The latest major news about the retired footballer before this came in July 2024, when Evra was hit with a twelve-month suspended prison sentence for abandoning his wife and children, who he allegedly owes over £800k in alimony.

Val Dewar

Val was initiated into Steelers Nation from the moment he was born — his first memory is a game vs. New England from when "Slash" was QB — and doing sports writing has always been a dream career for him. In 2022 he broke into the industry by writing about combat sports for Cageside Press, and now has the opportunity to continue that work with TSN as an MMA writer, as well as get his feet wet on the Steelers beat.