🔗 Share this article Those Brothers from the Dagestani Region Excelling in Mixed Martial Arts and at Man Utd. Ibragim Ibragimov embarked on his pro MMA journey in the year 2021. Ibragim Ibragimov breaks into a smile as he reflects on how his family's life has changed since moving to England from Dagestan in 2017. "I adore it here," the PFL athlete states. "My father and I often comment, 'this was the country I should have been born in.'" The young man left his homeland in the North Caucasus of Russia as his father was convinced a move covering more than 3,000 miles promised better career prospects for him and his siblings. The original idea was for Ibragim and his three brothers – Amir (17), Gazik (16), and Muhammad (15) – to complete their education before joining one of the nation's colleges. However, reality has turned out quite distinct for the Ibragimov family. Ibragim is now a professional mixed martial arts fighter and is regarded as one of the prime talents in the PFL, a major MMA organization. His brothers have taken a different path in athletics and have each been contracted by Manchester United – with Amir aiming for a place in the first team. "Our key thing for us is to extract the maximum from our chosen fields," says Ibragim. "I want them to represent every one of the finest teams in the world. Today it is Man United, tomorrow it might be a another team." From Wrestlers to Football Prodigies Three of Ibragim's siblings, featuring Amir (left), have been signed by Manchester United. Situated in the south of Russia, Dagestan holds a mystical status among fight fans for producing a host of UFC titleholders in recent years. The region has a long tradition in grappling, thriving in the combat sambo style and creating a host of Olympic and world champions. This achievement is not a coincidence, though, as children from the region are often encouraged to take up combat sports, specifically wrestling, almost as soon as they can walk. "As a a kid, my dad was always instructing me and my little brothers that we had to be powerful, firstly to defend ourselves, your family, and your friends," states Ibragim. "So we all got used to fighting, and which is why everyone understands how to fight in Dagestan. It's unsurprising." "Amir was a highly skilled wrestler. You can see the transition from wrestling to football; clearly, it benefited my little brothers a lot." "Many of the players he comes up against lack the identical base he has. That's why he's stocky, powerful and really competitive – because of wrestling." Amir was only nine years old when he was being tested at Sheffield United. Not knowing of his actual age, coaches grouped him with boys significantly older. He was unfazed by the mistake and was perfectly comfortable competing against older players because of his background in wrestling. "They believed Amir and I were the same age, so the story goes," says Ibragim. Amir was signed, together with Ibragim's younger brothers Gazik and Muhammad. The family's time in South Yorkshire was short-lived, however, as just weeks after joining the Blades, Manchester United became aware of Amir's ability and he moved over the Pennines as a result. "They faced Manchester United in a competition and Amir scored a brilliant free-kick," says Ibragim. "One of their talent spotters saw him play and selected him immediately." Half a dozen years after joining the Manchester United club and at the age of 15, Amir became one of the most youthful players in the club's records to practice with the first team when he achieved this in April 2023. "Do you know what he told me? 'This is where I should be'," Ibragim reveals. "Is he able to be a first-team player for Manchester United? Absolutely. They should let all the youthful players get game time right now." "I don't think they would play worse than the current first-team players. I believe the youngsters are hungrier than the present squad members." Since then, Gazik and Muhammad, the younger once on the books of Manchester City, have likewise made the move to Manchester United. "Gazik, this kid is talented," continues Ibragim. "He learned everything faster than the others. He's a good defender. He's going to be like a new Rio Ferdinand for Man United." 'A Goal' to Compete at the Theatre of Dreams Ibragimov has been training with the Nurmagomedov family – Usman (centre) and Khabib (right) in Dagestan. Ibragim has also relocated to Manchester and spends most of his days perfecting his MMA abilities at Manchester Top Team. In August, he passed three weeks in his native region at Khabib Nurmagomedov's gym, helping Islam Makhachev get ready for a November UFC championship bout. "I would never have imagined I would be training under Khabib," Ibragim admits. "He was the greatest fighter in the world – and we always used to look up to him when we were growing up." "Now, I'm here in his gym and training with Islam Makhachev." Recently working with two UFC champions from Dagestan, it is no surprise Ibragim states he is desperate to claim a world title of his own one day. But that does not stop him from occasionally dreaming of representing United and stepping out on the historic turf at Old Trafford, similar to his brothers. "I had a PlayStation at home and I always used to play as Man United, scoring goals with Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez," he recalls. "Today, for my brothers to be Man United players, it's like a fantasy realized." "A fight at Old Trafford? It's a dream for me. I was discussing with the PFL officials about it to see if they would do it. It would be massive."
Ibragim Ibragimov embarked on his pro MMA journey in the year 2021. Ibragim Ibragimov breaks into a smile as he reflects on how his family's life has changed since moving to England from Dagestan in 2017. "I adore it here," the PFL athlete states. "My father and I often comment, 'this was the country I should have been born in.'" The young man left his homeland in the North Caucasus of Russia as his father was convinced a move covering more than 3,000 miles promised better career prospects for him and his siblings. The original idea was for Ibragim and his three brothers – Amir (17), Gazik (16), and Muhammad (15) – to complete their education before joining one of the nation's colleges. However, reality has turned out quite distinct for the Ibragimov family. Ibragim is now a professional mixed martial arts fighter and is regarded as one of the prime talents in the PFL, a major MMA organization. His brothers have taken a different path in athletics and have each been contracted by Manchester United – with Amir aiming for a place in the first team. "Our key thing for us is to extract the maximum from our chosen fields," says Ibragim. "I want them to represent every one of the finest teams in the world. Today it is Man United, tomorrow it might be a another team." From Wrestlers to Football Prodigies Three of Ibragim's siblings, featuring Amir (left), have been signed by Manchester United. Situated in the south of Russia, Dagestan holds a mystical status among fight fans for producing a host of UFC titleholders in recent years. The region has a long tradition in grappling, thriving in the combat sambo style and creating a host of Olympic and world champions. This achievement is not a coincidence, though, as children from the region are often encouraged to take up combat sports, specifically wrestling, almost as soon as they can walk. "As a a kid, my dad was always instructing me and my little brothers that we had to be powerful, firstly to defend ourselves, your family, and your friends," states Ibragim. "So we all got used to fighting, and which is why everyone understands how to fight in Dagestan. It's unsurprising." "Amir was a highly skilled wrestler. You can see the transition from wrestling to football; clearly, it benefited my little brothers a lot." "Many of the players he comes up against lack the identical base he has. That's why he's stocky, powerful and really competitive – because of wrestling." Amir was only nine years old when he was being tested at Sheffield United. Not knowing of his actual age, coaches grouped him with boys significantly older. He was unfazed by the mistake and was perfectly comfortable competing against older players because of his background in wrestling. "They believed Amir and I were the same age, so the story goes," says Ibragim. Amir was signed, together with Ibragim's younger brothers Gazik and Muhammad. The family's time in South Yorkshire was short-lived, however, as just weeks after joining the Blades, Manchester United became aware of Amir's ability and he moved over the Pennines as a result. "They faced Manchester United in a competition and Amir scored a brilliant free-kick," says Ibragim. "One of their talent spotters saw him play and selected him immediately." Half a dozen years after joining the Manchester United club and at the age of 15, Amir became one of the most youthful players in the club's records to practice with the first team when he achieved this in April 2023. "Do you know what he told me? 'This is where I should be'," Ibragim reveals. "Is he able to be a first-team player for Manchester United? Absolutely. They should let all the youthful players get game time right now." "I don't think they would play worse than the current first-team players. I believe the youngsters are hungrier than the present squad members." Since then, Gazik and Muhammad, the younger once on the books of Manchester City, have likewise made the move to Manchester United. "Gazik, this kid is talented," continues Ibragim. "He learned everything faster than the others. He's a good defender. He's going to be like a new Rio Ferdinand for Man United." 'A Goal' to Compete at the Theatre of Dreams Ibragimov has been training with the Nurmagomedov family – Usman (centre) and Khabib (right) in Dagestan. Ibragim has also relocated to Manchester and spends most of his days perfecting his MMA abilities at Manchester Top Team. In August, he passed three weeks in his native region at Khabib Nurmagomedov's gym, helping Islam Makhachev get ready for a November UFC championship bout. "I would never have imagined I would be training under Khabib," Ibragim admits. "He was the greatest fighter in the world – and we always used to look up to him when we were growing up." "Now, I'm here in his gym and training with Islam Makhachev." Recently working with two UFC champions from Dagestan, it is no surprise Ibragim states he is desperate to claim a world title of his own one day. But that does not stop him from occasionally dreaming of representing United and stepping out on the historic turf at Old Trafford, similar to his brothers. "I had a PlayStation at home and I always used to play as Man United, scoring goals with Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez," he recalls. "Today, for my brothers to be Man United players, it's like a fantasy realized." "A fight at Old Trafford? It's a dream for me. I was discussing with the PFL officials about it to see if they would do it. It would be massive."