🔗 Share this article Those Siblings from Dagestan Making Their Mark in Mixed Martial Arts and with Manchester United. Ibragim Ibragimov started his pro MMA journey in 2021. Ibragim Ibragimov smiles as he reflects on how his family's life has evolved since moving to England from Dagestan eight years ago. "I adore it here," the PFL athlete remarks. "My father and I often say, 'this is the nation I should have been born in.'" The 21-year-old left his homeland in the North Caucasus of Russia as his father was convinced a move covering more than 3,000 miles would provide superior career prospects for him and his siblings. The original plan 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. However, reality has turned out slightly different for the Ibragimov family. Ibragim is now a pro MMA athlete and is viewed as one of the top prospects in the PFL, a major MMA organization. His siblings have chosen a different route in athletics and have each been contracted by Manchester United – with Amir vying for a position in the senior squad. "Our key goal for us is to squeeze everything out of our chosen fields," explains Ibragim. "I hope them to play for every one of the best teams in the world. Now it is Man United, tomorrow it might be a different team." Starting as Wrestlers to Football Talents Three of Ibragim's brothers, featuring Amir (left), have been joined Manchester United. Situated in southern Russia, Dagestan has a mystical reputation among combat sports enthusiasts for generating a number of UFC champions in recent years. The area has a long tradition in wrestling, excelling in the sambo discipline and creating a host of Olympic and world winners. This success is not a coincidence, however, as children from the region are often pushed to take up fighting, specifically wrestling, almost as soon as they can stand. "As a a kid, my dad was constantly instructing me and my younger brothers that we needed to be strong, first to defend yourself, your relatives, and your companions," says Ibragim. "Therefore we all became accustomed to fighting, and that's why people knows how to fight in Dagestan. It's unsurprising." "Amir was a very good wrestler. You can see the move from wrestling to football; clearly, it assisted my little brothers a great deal." "Some of the players he comes up against don't have the identical foundation he has. That's why he's solid, powerful and incredibly competitive – due to wrestling." Amir was just nine years old when he was being tested at Sheffield United. Not knowing of his actual age, trainers grouped him with boys significantly older. He was not intimidated by the oversight and was perfectly comfortable holding his own against older players thanks to his experience in wrestling. "They believed Amir and I were the same age, apparently," remarks Ibragim. Amir was signed, along with Ibragim's little brothers Gazik and Muhammad. The family's time in South Yorkshire was brief, however, as only weeks after signing for the Blades, Manchester United became aware of Amir's talent and he transferred over the Pennines as a result. "They played Manchester United in a tournament and Amir netted a brilliant free-kick," says Ibragim. "One of their scouts watched 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 practice with the senior side when he did so in April 2023. "Do you know what he told me? 'This is where I belong'," Ibragim says. "Is he able to be a first-team player for Manchester United? 100%. They should allow all the youthful players get game time right now." "In my opinion they would play less effectively than the existing first-team players. I believe the youngsters are more motivated than the current squad members." Since then, Gazik and Muhammad, the latter once on the books of Manchester City, have likewise made the move to Manchester United. "Gazik, this kid is talented," adds Ibragim. "He learned everything quicker than everyone else. He's a good defender. He's going to be like a new Rio Ferdinand for Man United." 'A Goal' to Fight at the Theatre of Dreams Ibragimov has been training with the Nurmagomedovs – Usman (centre) and Khabib (right) in Dagestan. Ibragim has now moved to Manchester and spends most of his days perfecting his MMA skills at a local gym. In August, he spent three weeks in his homeland at Khabib Nurmagomedov's gym, helping Islam Makhachev prepare for a November UFC championship bout. "I never have thought I would be training 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 training with Islam Makhachev." Fresh from training with two UFC titleholders from Dagestan, it is no surprise Ibragim says he is eager to win a world title of his own someday. But that does not stop him from occasionally fantasizing of playing for United and walking out on the hallowed turf at Old Trafford, much like his brothers. "I had a PlayStation at home and I always used to play as Man United, scoring goals with legendary players," he recalls. "Today, for my brothers to be Man United players, it's like a dream come true." "An event at Old Trafford? It's a goal for me. I was discussing with the PFL guys about it to see if they would do it. It would be huge."
Ibragim Ibragimov started his pro MMA journey in 2021. Ibragim Ibragimov smiles as he reflects on how his family's life has evolved since moving to England from Dagestan eight years ago. "I adore it here," the PFL athlete remarks. "My father and I often say, 'this is the nation I should have been born in.'" The 21-year-old left his homeland in the North Caucasus of Russia as his father was convinced a move covering more than 3,000 miles would provide superior career prospects for him and his siblings. The original plan 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. However, reality has turned out slightly different for the Ibragimov family. Ibragim is now a pro MMA athlete and is viewed as one of the top prospects in the PFL, a major MMA organization. His siblings have chosen a different route in athletics and have each been contracted by Manchester United – with Amir vying for a position in the senior squad. "Our key goal for us is to squeeze everything out of our chosen fields," explains Ibragim. "I hope them to play for every one of the best teams in the world. Now it is Man United, tomorrow it might be a different team." Starting as Wrestlers to Football Talents Three of Ibragim's brothers, featuring Amir (left), have been joined Manchester United. Situated in southern Russia, Dagestan has a mystical reputation among combat sports enthusiasts for generating a number of UFC champions in recent years. The area has a long tradition in wrestling, excelling in the sambo discipline and creating a host of Olympic and world winners. This success is not a coincidence, however, as children from the region are often pushed to take up fighting, specifically wrestling, almost as soon as they can stand. "As a a kid, my dad was constantly instructing me and my younger brothers that we needed to be strong, first to defend yourself, your relatives, and your companions," says Ibragim. "Therefore we all became accustomed to fighting, and that's why people knows how to fight in Dagestan. It's unsurprising." "Amir was a very good wrestler. You can see the move from wrestling to football; clearly, it assisted my little brothers a great deal." "Some of the players he comes up against don't have the identical foundation he has. That's why he's solid, powerful and incredibly competitive – due to wrestling." Amir was just nine years old when he was being tested at Sheffield United. Not knowing of his actual age, trainers grouped him with boys significantly older. He was not intimidated by the oversight and was perfectly comfortable holding his own against older players thanks to his experience in wrestling. "They believed Amir and I were the same age, apparently," remarks Ibragim. Amir was signed, along with Ibragim's little brothers Gazik and Muhammad. The family's time in South Yorkshire was brief, however, as only weeks after signing for the Blades, Manchester United became aware of Amir's talent and he transferred over the Pennines as a result. "They played Manchester United in a tournament and Amir netted a brilliant free-kick," says Ibragim. "One of their scouts watched 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 practice with the senior side when he did so in April 2023. "Do you know what he told me? 'This is where I belong'," Ibragim says. "Is he able to be a first-team player for Manchester United? 100%. They should allow all the youthful players get game time right now." "In my opinion they would play less effectively than the existing first-team players. I believe the youngsters are more motivated than the current squad members." Since then, Gazik and Muhammad, the latter once on the books of Manchester City, have likewise made the move to Manchester United. "Gazik, this kid is talented," adds Ibragim. "He learned everything quicker than everyone else. He's a good defender. He's going to be like a new Rio Ferdinand for Man United." 'A Goal' to Fight at the Theatre of Dreams Ibragimov has been training with the Nurmagomedovs – Usman (centre) and Khabib (right) in Dagestan. Ibragim has now moved to Manchester and spends most of his days perfecting his MMA skills at a local gym. In August, he spent three weeks in his homeland at Khabib Nurmagomedov's gym, helping Islam Makhachev prepare for a November UFC championship bout. "I never have thought I would be training 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 training with Islam Makhachev." Fresh from training with two UFC titleholders from Dagestan, it is no surprise Ibragim says he is eager to win a world title of his own someday. But that does not stop him from occasionally fantasizing of playing for United and walking out on the hallowed turf at Old Trafford, much like his brothers. "I had a PlayStation at home and I always used to play as Man United, scoring goals with legendary players," he recalls. "Today, for my brothers to be Man United players, it's like a dream come true." "An event at Old Trafford? It's a goal for me. I was discussing with the PFL guys about it to see if they would do it. It would be huge."