Manchester United legend Patrice Evra has challenged former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez to fight him in mixed martial arts.
Evra confirmed on Friday that he was joining up with the Professional Fighters’ League, before mocking the player who served an eight-game ban and received a £40000 fine in 2011 after being found guilty of racially abusing him.
Over the course of his career, Suarez also served two long suspensions for biting opponents – first a seven-game ban during his time at Ajax for biting PSV’s Otman Bakkal, and later a 10-match ban for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic during his Premier League stint with Liverpool.
“I’m officially training for my first fight with PFL Europe,” Evra wrote on social media platform X.
“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.”
After completing his suspension for his comments towards Evra, Suarez refused to shake the defender’s hand before kick-off when Liverpool next faced Manchester United – an incident for which he later apologised.
Evra retired from professional football in 2019, a year after leaving his final club West Ham. Since then he has gained millions of followers on social media with his catchphrase “I love this game” – also the title of his autobiography.
He will make his MMA debut in Paris at the Accor Arena on 23 May. The real identity of his first opponent on what is set to be a stacked card is yet to be confirmed.
The 43-year-old has been training alongside welterweight Cedric Doumbe, having previously toyed with a career in boxing before his first fight was cancelled in 2022.
“You guys should know by now, I love this game too!” Evra said.
“I’ve performed on the world’s biggest stages, won every major trophy in football, but PFL Europe Paris will be an incredibly special night for me.
“I’ve been training alongside the best in the world for years, and they’ll also tell you I’m ready for this.
“I’m going to put on a show at the Accor Arena on 23 May, so come watch the spectacle.”
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