🔗 Share this article Those Brothers from the Dagestani Region Making Their Mark in Mixed Martial Arts and at Manchester United. Ibragim Ibragimov embarked on his professional MMA career in 2021. Ibragim Ibragimov breaks into a smile as he thinks about how his clan's life has transformed since moving to England from Dagestan a decade ago. "I am fond of it here," the PFL athlete states. "We always comment, 'this was the country I ought to have been born in.'" The young man left his home in the Caucasus region of Russia because his father was convinced a move spanning more than 3,000 miles offered better career prospects for him and his brothers. The initial idea was for Ibragim and his three brothers – Amir (17), Gazik (16), and Muhammad (15) – to finish school before enrolling in one of the nation's colleges. But, reality has turned out quite distinct for the Ibragimov family. Ibragim is now a professional MMA athlete and is seen as one of the prime talents in the PFL, a major MMA organization. His siblings have taken a different route in sport and have each been contracted by Manchester United – with Amir vying for a position in the senior squad. "The primary thing for us is to extract everything out of our sports," explains Ibragim. "I want them to represent all of the best teams in the world. Today it is Man United, in the future it might be a another team." Starting as Grapplers to Football Talents Three of Ibragim's siblings, featuring Amir (left), have been signed by Manchester United. Located in southern Russia, Dagestan has a mythical reputation among fight fans for producing a number of UFC titleholders in recent years. The area has a long tradition in wrestling, excelling in the sambo discipline and creating numerous Olympic and world winners. This success is no accident, however, as children from the region are frequently encouraged to begin fighting, specifically wrestling, almost as soon as they can walk. "As a young, my dad was constantly telling me and my little brothers that we had to be strong, firstly to defend yourself, your relatives, and your friends," says Ibragim. "So we all got used to fighting, and that's why people understands how to fight in Dagestan. It's not a surprise." "Amir was a highly skilled wrestler. You can see the move from wrestling to football; clearly, it helped my little brothers a lot." "Many of the players he faces lack the identical foundation he has. That's why he's stocky, powerful and really competitive – due to 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 significantly older. He was not intimidated by the oversight and was perfectly capable holding his own against older players because of his experience in wrestling. "They thought Amir and I were the identical age, so the story goes," remarks Ibragim. Amir was recruited, together with Ibragim's little brothers Gazik and Muhammad. The family's stay in South Yorkshire was brief, however, as just weeks after joining the Blades, Manchester United learned of Amir's ability and he transferred across the Pennines as a result. "They faced Manchester United in a competition and Amir scored a spectacular free-kick," recalls Ibragim. "One of their scouts saw him play and selected him straight away." Half a dozen years after signing for the Manchester United club and at the age of 15, Amir was one of the youngest players in the club's records to train with the senior side when he did so in April 2023. "Know what he told me? 'This is where I should be'," Ibragim says. "Can he be a first-team player for Manchester United? Without a doubt. They need to let all the young players play right now." "I don't think they would play less effectively than the existing starters. I believe the youngsters are hungrier than the present squad members." Following that, Gazik and Muhammad, the latter once on the books of Manchester City, have also transferred to Manchester United. "Gazik, this youngster is gifted," continues Ibragim. "He picked up every skill quicker than everyone else. He's a good defender. He's going to be similar to a modern Rio Ferdinand for Man United." 'A Dream' 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 sharpening his MMA abilities at Manchester Top Team. In August, he spent three weeks in his native region at Khabib Nurmagomedov's gym, assisting Islam Makhachev prepare for a November UFC championship bout. "I would never have thought I would be learning under Khabib," Ibragim says. "He was the best fighter in the world – and we always used to idolize him when we were growing up." "Today, I'm here in his gym and training with Islam Makhachev." Recently working with two UFC champions from Dagestan, it is unsurprising Ibragim states he is eager to win a world title of his own one day. But that does not stop him from occasionally dreaming of playing for United and walking 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 with Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez," he says. "Now, for my brothers to be Man United players, it's similar to a dream come true." "A fight at Old Trafford? It's a goal for me. I was discussing with the PFL officials about it to see if they could do it. It would be enormous."
Ibragim Ibragimov embarked on his professional MMA career in 2021. Ibragim Ibragimov breaks into a smile as he thinks about how his clan's life has transformed since moving to England from Dagestan a decade ago. "I am fond of it here," the PFL athlete states. "We always comment, 'this was the country I ought to have been born in.'" The young man left his home in the Caucasus region of Russia because his father was convinced a move spanning more than 3,000 miles offered better career prospects for him and his brothers. The initial idea was for Ibragim and his three brothers – Amir (17), Gazik (16), and Muhammad (15) – to finish school before enrolling in one of the nation's colleges. But, reality has turned out quite distinct for the Ibragimov family. Ibragim is now a professional MMA athlete and is seen as one of the prime talents in the PFL, a major MMA organization. His siblings have taken a different route in sport and have each been contracted by Manchester United – with Amir vying for a position in the senior squad. "The primary thing for us is to extract everything out of our sports," explains Ibragim. "I want them to represent all of the best teams in the world. Today it is Man United, in the future it might be a another team." Starting as Grapplers to Football Talents Three of Ibragim's siblings, featuring Amir (left), have been signed by Manchester United. Located in southern Russia, Dagestan has a mythical reputation among fight fans for producing a number of UFC titleholders in recent years. The area has a long tradition in wrestling, excelling in the sambo discipline and creating numerous Olympic and world winners. This success is no accident, however, as children from the region are frequently encouraged to begin fighting, specifically wrestling, almost as soon as they can walk. "As a young, my dad was constantly telling me and my little brothers that we had to be strong, firstly to defend yourself, your relatives, and your friends," says Ibragim. "So we all got used to fighting, and that's why people understands how to fight in Dagestan. It's not a surprise." "Amir was a highly skilled wrestler. You can see the move from wrestling to football; clearly, it helped my little brothers a lot." "Many of the players he faces lack the identical foundation he has. That's why he's stocky, powerful and really competitive – due to 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 significantly older. He was not intimidated by the oversight and was perfectly capable holding his own against older players because of his experience in wrestling. "They thought Amir and I were the identical age, so the story goes," remarks Ibragim. Amir was recruited, together with Ibragim's little brothers Gazik and Muhammad. The family's stay in South Yorkshire was brief, however, as just weeks after joining the Blades, Manchester United learned of Amir's ability and he transferred across the Pennines as a result. "They faced Manchester United in a competition and Amir scored a spectacular free-kick," recalls Ibragim. "One of their scouts saw him play and selected him straight away." Half a dozen years after signing for the Manchester United club and at the age of 15, Amir was one of the youngest players in the club's records to train with the senior side when he did so in April 2023. "Know what he told me? 'This is where I should be'," Ibragim says. "Can he be a first-team player for Manchester United? Without a doubt. They need to let all the young players play right now." "I don't think they would play less effectively than the existing starters. I believe the youngsters are hungrier than the present squad members." Following that, Gazik and Muhammad, the latter once on the books of Manchester City, have also transferred to Manchester United. "Gazik, this youngster is gifted," continues Ibragim. "He picked up every skill quicker than everyone else. He's a good defender. He's going to be similar to a modern Rio Ferdinand for Man United." 'A Dream' 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 sharpening his MMA abilities at Manchester Top Team. In August, he spent three weeks in his native region at Khabib Nurmagomedov's gym, assisting Islam Makhachev prepare for a November UFC championship bout. "I would never have thought I would be learning under Khabib," Ibragim says. "He was the best fighter in the world – and we always used to idolize him when we were growing up." "Today, I'm here in his gym and training with Islam Makhachev." Recently working with two UFC champions from Dagestan, it is unsurprising Ibragim states he is eager to win a world title of his own one day. But that does not stop him from occasionally dreaming of playing for United and walking 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 with Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez," he says. "Now, for my brothers to be Man United players, it's similar to a dream come true." "A fight at Old Trafford? It's a goal for me. I was discussing with the PFL officials about it to see if they could do it. It would be enormous."