Patrice Evra to make MMA debut and jokes he wants to fight Luis Suarez

Former Manchester United and France defender Patrice Evra has joked that he wants fight Luis Suarez after announcing he will make his mixed martial arts debut in Paris next month.

Evra, 43, said he would even allow the former Uruguay international to bite him in a bout at Professional Fighters League Europe’s Paris event on May 23 at the Accor Arena in Bercy.

The Frenchman wrote in a post on his X account: “BREAKING: I’m officially training for my first fight with @PFLEurope.

“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.”

Then Liverpool striker Suarez was fined £40,000 and banned for eight games by the Football Association after being found guilty of racially abusing Evra during a game in October 2011.

The South American was later handed a four-month suspension from football and banned for nine international matches as well as being fined 100,000 Swiss francs [£65,680] for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup finals – his third ban for biting opponents during his career.

Evra has been doing combat training for nearly a decade and has been preparing for his competitive bow alongside friend and PFL star Cedric Doumbe.

It has not yet been announced who Evra will fight against, and he said: “You guys should know by now, I love this game too.

“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 May 23, so come watch the spectacle.”

Evra spent eight and a half years at Manchester United, winning five Premier League titles among a host of honours.

He moved on to Juventus in 2014 and retired six years ago, with his final appearances coming in a brief spell for West Ham.