When it seemed like it couldn’t get any crazier when WWE Superstar CM Punk tried his hand in MMA, we have another top athlete from a different sport wanting to prove his mettle inside a cage. Yes, former 5-time Premier League winner and 2007/08 UEFA Champions League winner with Manchester United, Patrice Evra, will be putting on his gloves to make his MMA debut for the first time in the PFL, and guess what? He appears to have Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s support.
‘The Eagle’ is as big a soccer fan as they come. He showcased his knowledge about the champions when he named the winners of the Champions League and the Ballon d’Or award in different years, of which a video went viral on social media. So maybe he loved the idea of partnering with a legend like Patrice Evra ahead of his fight, but Khabib Nurmagomedov recently revealed that he was trying to contact the French soccer icon, but his calls didn’t go through. Well, it turns out that Evra was having some issues with his phone.
During a phone call with Patrice Evra, Khabib Nurmagomedov asked, “Finally, you called me. Why don’t you answer when I call you?” In return, the Manchester United legend said, “Brother, I’m sorry, because I didn’t pay the bill. You know, I’m not rich like you. So, my phone don’t work.” Guess what? ‘The Eagle’ assured Evra that he’s got him covered. “Next time, let me know. I’m gonna pay your bill,” Khabib added.
It was after that when Patrice Evra revealed that he had been training “twice per day.” When it may sound impressive to some people, Khabib Nurmagomedov appeared rather concerned and wondered what the reason could be for Evra to be fighting, and that too, while he’s in his 40s. Instead, ‘The Eagle’ offered himself to fight on the Manchester United legend’s behalf. “Brother, you don’t need this. Why you have to train? If you need to fight, I’m gonna fight for you.”
But a professional always aims to do the things that are required, even if it’s tough, and Patrice Evra seems determined to make a mark on his PFL debut. For that, he requested Khabib Nurmagomedov for his help in training, confessing, “I know you got like, a little issue, but when you fix it, please, brother, we need to, I need to have some, a little training.” And guess what? ‘The Eagle’s got no issue with that at all.
Well, Khabib claims he’s been asking for Patrice Evra to meet up, as he told him, “I told you many times. Send me location. I’m gonna find you.” He was in Dubai at the moment, but when he gets the time to come and help Patrice Evra out, ‘The Eagle’ has promised to ‘teach’ home what he did best inside the Octagon. “Brother, when I see you, you have to be ready and that’s it. Other things, I’m gonna take care. I’m gonna teach you how to smash people,”
Nurmagomedov added.
“𝙎𝙀𝙉𝘿 𝙈𝙀 𝙇𝙊𝘾𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉”
“𝙄 𝙒𝙄𝙇𝙇 𝙏𝙀𝘼𝘾𝙃 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝙃𝙊𝙒 𝙏𝙊 𝙎𝙈𝘼𝙎𝙃 𝙋𝙀𝙊𝙋𝙇𝙀”
Khabib Nurmagomedov checks in with Patrice @Evra ahead of the former French football captain’s PFL MMA Debut on Friday 23rd May
LIMITED TICKETS REMAIN! … pic.twitter.com/G4xHBOmnvt
— PFL Europe (@PFLEurope) April 28, 2025
While Patrice Evra’s decision to compete in MMA may sound surprising, the Frenchman revealed that fighting is something that he’s been doing since he was a young man. Here’s what the former UFC and Premier League winner had to say.
Patrice Evra has thrown punches during his younger years
Patrice Evra lived in England for almost nine years, playing for one of the most prestigious and iconic soccer clubs around the world. He also started his combat training during his time in the country where he currently resides. In 2019, he met up with Michael ‘Venom’ Page, who also loves Manchester United, for an interview with ‘COPA90 Football’, and guess what? They even had a brief training session thereafter.
It was during that session that Patrice Evra revealed that he had been fighting since he was a kid. “Why straight into fighting because I love to fight when I was a kid. I done some kickboxing in the street,” said the 43-year-old Frenchman. “Before the [soccer] training session, I was going down, doing some boxing and everything and to be fair, when we start the session, I was like more aggressive.”
Well, the only thing that’s left to find out is if Patrice Evra’s decision to fight in an MMA contest turns out to be a good or bad decision on May 23. He has yet to finalize an opponent, but in the meantime, the Frenchman has enlisted the help of former UFC and current PFL fighters Cedric Doumbe and Brendan Loughnane. How do you see the fight going?
The post Khabib Nurmagomedov Promises to Give Ex-Manchester United Icon a Lesson on How to ‘Smash People’ Before Making MMA Debut appeared first on EssentiallySports.