🔗 Share this article The Siblings from Dagestan Excelling in Mixed Martial Arts and at Man Utd. Ibragim Ibragimov started his professional MMA journey in 2021. Ibragim Ibragimov smiles as he considers how his family's life has changed since moving to England from Dagestan eight years ago. "I adore it here," the PFL star remarks. "My father and I frequently say, 'this was the nation I should have been born in.'" The young man departed his homeland in the Caucasus region of Russia as his father believed a relocation spanning more than 3,000 miles promised superior career opportunities for him and his brothers. The original plan 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. But, reality has turned out quite distinct for the Ibragimov family. Ibragim is now a professional mixed martial arts fighter and is viewed as one of the top prospects in the PFL, a prominent MMA league. His brothers have chosen a separate path in athletics and have all been contracted by Manchester United – with Amir pushing for a spot in the senior squad. "The main goal for us is to extract the maximum from our chosen fields," explains Ibragim. "I desire them to represent every one of the top teams in the world. Now it is Man United, in the future it might be a another team." Starting as Grapplers to Football Prodigies Three of Ibragim's brothers, including Amir (left), have been joined Manchester United. Situated in the south of Russia, Dagestan has a mystical status among fight fans for generating a slew of UFC titleholders in the past few years. The area has a rich history in wrestling, excelling in the sambo style and producing numerous Olympic and world champions. This achievement is not a coincidence, though, as youth from the region are often encouraged to take up fighting, particularly wrestling, almost as soon as they can walk. "When I was a kid, my dad was always instructing me and my younger brothers that we needed to be strong, firstly to defend ourselves, your relatives, and your friends," states Ibragim. "Therefore we all became accustomed to combat, and that's why everyone knows how to fight in Dagestan. It's not a surprise." "Amir was a highly skilled wrestler. You can observe the transition from wrestling to football; clearly, it helped my younger brothers a great deal." "Some of the footballers he comes up against lack the same base he possesses. That's why he's stocky, strong and incredibly driven – due to wrestling." Amir was only nine years old when he was being tested at Sheffield United. Unaware of his real age, trainers placed him with boys significantly older. He was unfazed by the oversight and was perfectly capable competing against older players because of his experience in wrestling. "They believed Amir and I were the identical age, apparently," remarks Ibragim. Amir was recruited, together with Ibragim's younger brothers Gazik and Muhammad. The family's stay in South Yorkshire was brief, though, as just weeks after signing for the Blades, Manchester United learned of Amir's ability and he moved across the Pennines as a result. "They faced Manchester United in a tournament and Amir netted a spectacular free-kick," recalls Ibragim. "One of their talent spotters saw him play and picked him immediately." Six years after signing for the Manchester United club and at the age of 15, Amir became one of the most youthful players in the club's history to train with the senior side when he did so 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 let all the young players get game time right now." "I don't think they would play worse than the existing first-team players. I think the young guys are more motivated than the present squad members." Following that, Gazik and Muhammad, the younger once on the books of Manchester City, have also made the move to Manchester United. "Gazik, this kid is talented," adds Ibragim. "He picked up everything faster than everyone else. He's a solid defender. He's going to be like a modern Rio Ferdinand for Man United." 'A Goal' to Compete at the Theatre of Dreams Ibragimov has been training with the Nurmagomedovs – Usman (centre) and Khabib (right) in Dagestan. Ibragim has now relocated to Manchester and spends most of his days perfecting his MMA skills at Manchester Top Team. In August, he passed three weeks in his native region at Khabib Nurmagomedov's gym, assisting Islam Makhachev prepare for a late-year UFC title fight. "I never have thought 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 growing up." "Today, I'm here in his gym and sparring alongside Islam Makhachev." Recently training with two UFC champions from Dagestan, it is no surprise Ibragim says he is desperate to claim a world title of his own one day. But that does not stop him from sometimes dreaming of representing United and walking out on the historic turf at Old Trafford, much like his brothers. "I owned a PlayStation at home and I constantly used to play as Man United, scoring goals with Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez," he says. "Today, for my brothers to be Man United players, it's like a fantasy realized." "An event at Old Trafford? It's a ambition for me. I was discussing with the PFL officials about it to see if they could make it happen. It would be huge."
Ibragim Ibragimov started his professional MMA journey in 2021. Ibragim Ibragimov smiles as he considers how his family's life has changed since moving to England from Dagestan eight years ago. "I adore it here," the PFL star remarks. "My father and I frequently say, 'this was the nation I should have been born in.'" The young man departed his homeland in the Caucasus region of Russia as his father believed a relocation spanning more than 3,000 miles promised superior career opportunities for him and his brothers. The original plan 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. But, reality has turned out quite distinct for the Ibragimov family. Ibragim is now a professional mixed martial arts fighter and is viewed as one of the top prospects in the PFL, a prominent MMA league. His brothers have chosen a separate path in athletics and have all been contracted by Manchester United – with Amir pushing for a spot in the senior squad. "The main goal for us is to extract the maximum from our chosen fields," explains Ibragim. "I desire them to represent every one of the top teams in the world. Now it is Man United, in the future it might be a another team." Starting as Grapplers to Football Prodigies Three of Ibragim's brothers, including Amir (left), have been joined Manchester United. Situated in the south of Russia, Dagestan has a mystical status among fight fans for generating a slew of UFC titleholders in the past few years. The area has a rich history in wrestling, excelling in the sambo style and producing numerous Olympic and world champions. This achievement is not a coincidence, though, as youth from the region are often encouraged to take up fighting, particularly wrestling, almost as soon as they can walk. "When I was a kid, my dad was always instructing me and my younger brothers that we needed to be strong, firstly to defend ourselves, your relatives, and your friends," states Ibragim. "Therefore we all became accustomed to combat, and that's why everyone knows how to fight in Dagestan. It's not a surprise." "Amir was a highly skilled wrestler. You can observe the transition from wrestling to football; clearly, it helped my younger brothers a great deal." "Some of the footballers he comes up against lack the same base he possesses. That's why he's stocky, strong and incredibly driven – due to wrestling." Amir was only nine years old when he was being tested at Sheffield United. Unaware of his real age, trainers placed him with boys significantly older. He was unfazed by the oversight and was perfectly capable competing against older players because of his experience in wrestling. "They believed Amir and I were the identical age, apparently," remarks Ibragim. Amir was recruited, together with Ibragim's younger brothers Gazik and Muhammad. The family's stay in South Yorkshire was brief, though, as just weeks after signing for the Blades, Manchester United learned of Amir's ability and he moved across the Pennines as a result. "They faced Manchester United in a tournament and Amir netted a spectacular free-kick," recalls Ibragim. "One of their talent spotters saw him play and picked him immediately." Six years after signing for the Manchester United club and at the age of 15, Amir became one of the most youthful players in the club's history to train with the senior side when he did so 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 let all the young players get game time right now." "I don't think they would play worse than the existing first-team players. I think the young guys are more motivated than the present squad members." Following that, Gazik and Muhammad, the younger once on the books of Manchester City, have also made the move to Manchester United. "Gazik, this kid is talented," adds Ibragim. "He picked up everything faster than everyone else. He's a solid defender. He's going to be like a modern Rio Ferdinand for Man United." 'A Goal' to Compete at the Theatre of Dreams Ibragimov has been training with the Nurmagomedovs – Usman (centre) and Khabib (right) in Dagestan. Ibragim has now relocated to Manchester and spends most of his days perfecting his MMA skills at Manchester Top Team. In August, he passed three weeks in his native region at Khabib Nurmagomedov's gym, assisting Islam Makhachev prepare for a late-year UFC title fight. "I never have thought 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 growing up." "Today, I'm here in his gym and sparring alongside Islam Makhachev." Recently training with two UFC champions from Dagestan, it is no surprise Ibragim says he is desperate to claim a world title of his own one day. But that does not stop him from sometimes dreaming of representing United and walking out on the historic turf at Old Trafford, much like his brothers. "I owned a PlayStation at home and I constantly used to play as Man United, scoring goals with Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez," he says. "Today, for my brothers to be Man United players, it's like a fantasy realized." "An event at Old Trafford? It's a ambition for me. I was discussing with the PFL officials about it to see if they could make it happen. It would be huge."