French football icon Patrice Evra gears up for MMA debut

Former footballer Patrice Evra will make his Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) debut in May, the Professional Fighters League (PFL) said on Friday, and the Frenchman has already suggested old foe Luis Suarez would be his dream opponent.

Evra, who retired from football in 2019 having captained the France team and played for Manchester United, Juventus and AS Monaco, has been training since 2016 and his first fight will come at PFL Europe Paris on May 23 at the Accor Arena.

His opponent has yet to be revealed but the 43-year-old, known for his aggressive, tenacious style on the pitch, came up with his own novel idea.

"BREAKING: I'm officially training for my first fight with PFL Europe. They will pick my opponent," Evra posted on social media.

"They asked who I wanna face. I said: Luis Suarez. I'll pay out of pocket. He can even bite me."

Suarez, a former Uruguayan international who plays for Inter Miami, has bitten opponents on the pitch on three separate occasions, including Italian Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup.

While Suarez has shown no inclination to go into MMA, he and Evra are old enemies. In 2011, while at Liverpool, Suarez was banned for eight matches for using racist language against the Frenchman, who was playing for Manchester United at the time.

"We're incredibly excited to have the superstar that is Patrice Evra fight under the PFL banner as we're all about exciting match-ups and making history," PFL CEO Pete Murray said in a statement.

"I can't tell you how excited Patrice has been putting this together, but I think you're going to see it at the Accor Arena. Paris, we're coming to put on another historic evening of MMA, don't miss out."