🔗 Share this article The Siblings from the Dagestani Region Excelling in MMA and with Man Utd. Ibragim Ibragimov embarked on his pro MMA career in 2021. Ibragim Ibragimov smiles as he considers how his family's life has evolved since relocating to England from Dagestan a decade ago. "I love it here," the PFL competitor remarks. "My father and I always comment, 'this was the country I should have been born in.'" The young man left his home in the North Caucasus of Russia as his father believed a move covering more than 3,000 miles would provide superior career prospects for him and his siblings. The initial idea was for Ibragim and his three brothers – Amir (17), Gazik (16), and Muhammad (15) – to complete school before joining one of the country's colleges. However, life now looks quite different for the Ibragimov family. Ibragim is now a professional MMA athlete and is regarded as one of the prime prospects in the PFL, a major MMA organization. His brothers have chosen a different path in athletics and have each been signed by Manchester United – with Amir vying for a position in the first team. "Our key goal for us is to extract everything from our sports," says Ibragim. "I hope them to represent every one of the top teams in the world. Now it is Man United, in the future it could be a another team." From Grapplers to Football Talents Three of Ibragim's brothers, including Amir (left), have been signed by Manchester United. Located in southern Russia, Dagestan has a mystical reputation among fight enthusiasts for generating a host of UFC titleholders in the past few years. The area has a long history in wrestling, excelling in the sambo discipline and creating a host of Olympic and world champions. This success is not a coincidence, however, as youth from the region are frequently encouraged to take up combat sports, specifically wrestling, almost as soon as they can stand. "As a young, my dad was always telling me and my little brothers that we had to be powerful, firstly to protect yourself, your relatives, and your friends," says Ibragim. "Therefore we all got used to fighting, and that's why people knows how to fight in Dagestan. It's not a surprise." "Amir was a highly skilled wrestler. You can see the transition from wrestling to football; obviously, it helped my little brothers a great deal." "Many of the players he faces lack the identical base he has. That's why he's solid, strong and really competitive – because of wrestling." Amir was only nine years old when he was put through his paces at Sheffield United. Not knowing of his real age, trainers grouped him with boys five years older. He was unfazed by the mistake and was more than comfortable holding his own against older players because of his background in wrestling. "They thought Amir and I were the identical age, so the story goes," remarks Ibragim. Amir was recruited, along with Ibragim's little brothers Gazik and Muhammad. The clan's time in South Yorkshire was brief, though, as just weeks after joining the Blades, Manchester United became aware of Amir's talent and he transferred across the Pennines consequently. "They played Manchester United in a competition and Amir scored a spectacular free-kick," says Ibragim. "One of their scouts saw him play and picked him immediately." Six years after joining the Manchester United club and at the age of 15, Amir became one of the youngest players in the club's history to train with the first team when he achieved this in April 2023. "Know what he told me? 'Here is where I belong'," Ibragim reveals. "Can he be a first-team player for Manchester United? Without a doubt. They need to allow all the young players play right now." "In my opinion they would play less effectively than the existing first-team players. I think the young guys are hungrier than the current squad members." Following that, 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," adds Ibragim. "He learned every skill faster than everyone else. He's a solid defender. He's going to be similar to a new Rio Ferdinand for Man United." 'The Dream' to Compete at Old Trafford Ibragimov has been training with the Nurmagomedovs – Usman (centre) and Khabib (right) in Dagestan. Ibragim has now relocated to Manchester and dedicates most of his days honing his MMA abilities at a local gym. In August, he spent three weeks in his native region at Khabib Nurmagomedov's gym, helping Islam Makhachev get ready for a November UFC championship bout. "I never have imagined I would be learning under Khabib," Ibragim admits. "He was the greatest fighter in the world – and we constantly used to idolize him when we were young." "Now, I'm here in his gym and sparring alongside Islam Makhachev." Recently training with two UFC titleholders from Dagestan, it is no surprise Ibragim states he is desperate to win a world title of his own one day. However that does not prevent him from sometimes dreaming of representing United and walking out on the hallowed turf at Old Trafford, much like his brothers. "I owned a PlayStation at home and I always used to play as Man United, scoring goals with legendary players," he says. "Today, for my brothers to be Man United players, it's similar to a fantasy realized." "An event at Old Trafford? It's a ambition for me. I was discussing with the PFL guys about it to see if they could do it. It would be enormous."
Ibragim Ibragimov embarked on his pro MMA career in 2021. Ibragim Ibragimov smiles as he considers how his family's life has evolved since relocating to England from Dagestan a decade ago. "I love it here," the PFL competitor remarks. "My father and I always comment, 'this was the country I should have been born in.'" The young man left his home in the North Caucasus of Russia as his father believed a move covering more than 3,000 miles would provide superior career prospects for him and his siblings. The initial idea was for Ibragim and his three brothers – Amir (17), Gazik (16), and Muhammad (15) – to complete school before joining one of the country's colleges. However, life now looks quite different for the Ibragimov family. Ibragim is now a professional MMA athlete and is regarded as one of the prime prospects in the PFL, a major MMA organization. His brothers have chosen a different path in athletics and have each been signed by Manchester United – with Amir vying for a position in the first team. "Our key goal for us is to extract everything from our sports," says Ibragim. "I hope them to represent every one of the top teams in the world. Now it is Man United, in the future it could be a another team." From Grapplers to Football Talents Three of Ibragim's brothers, including Amir (left), have been signed by Manchester United. Located in southern Russia, Dagestan has a mystical reputation among fight enthusiasts for generating a host of UFC titleholders in the past few years. The area has a long history in wrestling, excelling in the sambo discipline and creating a host of Olympic and world champions. This success is not a coincidence, however, as youth from the region are frequently encouraged to take up combat sports, specifically wrestling, almost as soon as they can stand. "As a young, my dad was always telling me and my little brothers that we had to be powerful, firstly to protect yourself, your relatives, and your friends," says Ibragim. "Therefore we all got used to fighting, and that's why people knows how to fight in Dagestan. It's not a surprise." "Amir was a highly skilled wrestler. You can see the transition from wrestling to football; obviously, it helped my little brothers a great deal." "Many of the players he faces lack the identical base he has. That's why he's solid, strong and really competitive – because of wrestling." Amir was only nine years old when he was put through his paces at Sheffield United. Not knowing of his real age, trainers grouped him with boys five years older. He was unfazed by the mistake and was more than comfortable holding his own against older players because of his background in wrestling. "They thought Amir and I were the identical age, so the story goes," remarks Ibragim. Amir was recruited, along with Ibragim's little brothers Gazik and Muhammad. The clan's time in South Yorkshire was brief, though, as just weeks after joining the Blades, Manchester United became aware of Amir's talent and he transferred across the Pennines consequently. "They played Manchester United in a competition and Amir scored a spectacular free-kick," says Ibragim. "One of their scouts saw him play and picked him immediately." Six years after joining the Manchester United club and at the age of 15, Amir became one of the youngest players in the club's history to train with the first team when he achieved this in April 2023. "Know what he told me? 'Here is where I belong'," Ibragim reveals. "Can he be a first-team player for Manchester United? Without a doubt. They need to allow all the young players play right now." "In my opinion they would play less effectively than the existing first-team players. I think the young guys are hungrier than the current squad members." Following that, 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," adds Ibragim. "He learned every skill faster than everyone else. He's a solid defender. He's going to be similar to a new Rio Ferdinand for Man United." 'The Dream' to Compete at Old Trafford Ibragimov has been training with the Nurmagomedovs – Usman (centre) and Khabib (right) in Dagestan. Ibragim has now relocated to Manchester and dedicates most of his days honing his MMA abilities at a local gym. In August, he spent three weeks in his native region at Khabib Nurmagomedov's gym, helping Islam Makhachev get ready for a November UFC championship bout. "I never have imagined I would be learning under Khabib," Ibragim admits. "He was the greatest fighter in the world – and we constantly used to idolize him when we were young." "Now, I'm here in his gym and sparring alongside Islam Makhachev." Recently training with two UFC titleholders from Dagestan, it is no surprise Ibragim states he is desperate to win a world title of his own one day. However that does not prevent him from sometimes dreaming of representing United and walking out on the hallowed turf at Old Trafford, much like his brothers. "I owned a PlayStation at home and I always used to play as Man United, scoring goals with legendary players," he says. "Today, for my brothers to be Man United players, it's similar to a fantasy realized." "An event at Old Trafford? It's a ambition for me. I was discussing with the PFL guys about it to see if they could do it. It would be enormous."