‘He Can Bite Me’: Manchester United Legend Patrice Evra Joins Dana White’s Rival Promotion, Calls Out Luis Suárez

Allan Binoy | 25/04/2025
Manchester Uniteds Patrice Evra (R) shakes hands with Liverpools Luis Suarez before kick off .

What started as a scuffle on a soccer field in a 2011 Premier League match between Manchester United and Liverpool has entered an MMA cage in 2025. Former Manchester United captain Patrice Evra has seemingly joined Dana White-led UFC’s only rival in the sport- the PFL.

Although his opponent for his debut fight has not been announced, when asked, Evra had a name ready to go. It’s the same name, he would have laid out all those years ago at Kop end in Anfield- Luis Suarez. Suarez was accused of addressing the Red Devils’ captain with a liberal use of the N-word in response to being asked, “Why did you kick me?”

Although Suarez has claimed his innocence, stating his words were lost in translation, it didn’t matter, he was fined £40,000 and banned for eight matches. When the pair faced off against each other again in the return meeting, the Liverpool striker refused to shake Evra’s hand, causing further controversy.

So when the Red Devils beat Liverpool that day, Evra made sure he went and celebrated the win right in front of Suarez’s face. And now, 14 years later, Evra wants to stir the pot once again.

“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 Suárez. I’ll pay out of pocket“, he tweeted.

Referring to the former Liverpool striker’s notorious habit of biting his opponents, Evra joked, “He can even bite me.”

However, as enticing as the prospect sounds, it will be next to impossible to get the fight to happen. Evra retired back in July 2019, but Suarez continues to play for David Beckham’s Inter Miami alongside his former FC Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets.

But what does that mean for Evra? Well, the former Red Devils’ captain will be making his debut regardless.

Evra reveals PFL debut date

Despite running out of options and fighters to be competitive against a behemoth like the UFC, the PFL seems to be doing everything in its power to bridge the gap.

And the strategy they are using is bringing in well-known celebrities to attract more eyes to their organization. First, it was YouTuber-turned-boxer, Jake Paul, who became a partner and even promised to fight in the PFL cage in the future.

And now, it’s a soccer legend. Mind you. Evra is no novice to combat sports either.

Training since 2016, Evra first tried his luck in boxing. Back in 2022, he was set to face Adam Saleh, but the fight was postponed after the main event of the evening fell through. Disappointed, Evra announced his retirement from pugilism.

 

Well, it seems the soccer pundit has found the urge to compete again. The former French national will make his debut for the PFL on their Paris card on 23 May.

Post Edited By: Smrutisnat Jena
Dana White Patrice Evra

About the author

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Allan Binoy

Allan Binoy is a MMA journalist at The SportsRush. Taken to the sport in 2015, thanks to a certain Conor McGregor, Allan has himself dabbled in the martial arts. And having graduated from Loyola College, Chennai, with a degree in English Literature, he has learnt to use his love for language to have a voice in the MMA community. Allan has been writing about the gladiatorial stories for more than three years now and has pursued excellence at a number of reputable media organizations, covering every UFC PPV in the last couple of years. In addition to this, the southpaw is also a semi-professional soccer player for Diego Juniors FC in Pune, playing in the Pune Super Division League.

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