🔗 Share this article The Brothers from Dagestan Excelling in MMA and with Man Utd. Ibragim Ibragimov embarked on his professional MMA career in 2021. Ibragim Ibragimov grins as he thinks about how his family's life has changed since relocating to England from Dagestan in 2017. "I am fond of it here," the Professional Fighters League athlete declares. "We frequently say, 'this was the country I should have been born in.'" The young man departed his home in the Caucasus region of Russia because his father was convinced a move spanning more than 3,000 miles offered superior professional 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 country's universities. However, life now looks quite different for the Ibragimov family. Ibragim is now a pro MMA fighter and is regarded as one of the leading talents in the PFL, a major MMA league. His siblings have taken a separate route in sport and have all been contracted by Manchester United – with Amir aiming for a position in the first team. "The main thing for us is to extract everything from our chosen fields," says Ibragim. "I want them to play for all of the best teams in the world. Now it is Man United, tomorrow it could be a different team." From Wrestlers to Soccer Prodigies Three of Ibragim's siblings, including Amir (left), have been signed by Manchester United. Situated in the south of Russia, Dagestan has a mystical status among fight enthusiasts for generating a slew of UFC titleholders in the past few years. The area has a long history in wrestling, excelling in the sambo discipline and creating numerous Olympic and world winners. This achievement is no accident, though, as youth from the region are often pushed to begin combat sports, particularly wrestling, practically as soon as they can stand. "As a young, my dad was always telling me and my younger brothers that we had to be strong, firstly to protect ourselves, your relatives, and your friends," states Ibragim. "So 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 observe the move from wrestling to football; obviously, it benefited my little brothers a great deal." "Some of the footballers he comes up against lack the identical foundation he has. That's why he's stocky, strong and incredibly driven – because of wrestling." Amir was just nine years old when he was put through his paces at Sheffield United. Not knowing of his real age, trainers placed him with boys significantly older. He was not intimidated by the oversight and was perfectly comfortable holding his own against older players because of his background in wrestling. "They thought Amir and I were the same 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 over the Pennines consequently. "They played Manchester United in a competition and Amir scored a brilliant free-kick," says Ibragim. "One of their scouts saw him play and selected him immediately." Six 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 train with the senior side when he achieved this in April 2023. "Do you know what he said to me? 'This is where I belong'," Ibragim reveals. "Is he able to be a first-team player for Manchester United? 100%. They should let all the young players get game time now." "I don't think they would play worse than the current starters. I believe the young guys are hungrier than the current squad members." Following that, Gazik and Muhammad, the latter once on the books of Manchester City, have also transferred to Manchester United. "Gazik, this kid is gifted," continues Ibragim. "He learned every skill faster than the others. He's a solid defender. He's going to be like a modern Rio Ferdinand for Man United." 'A Dream' 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 moved to Manchester and dedicates most of his days sharpening his MMA skills 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 never have imagined I would be learning under Khabib," Ibragim says. "He was the best fighter in the world – and we constantly used to idolize him when we were growing up." "Now, 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 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 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 with Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez," he recalls. "Today, for my brothers to be Man United players, it's similar to a dream come true." "An event at Old Trafford? It's a goal for me. I was speaking to the PFL guys about it to see if they could make it happen. It would be massive."
Ibragim Ibragimov embarked on his professional MMA career in 2021. Ibragim Ibragimov grins as he thinks about how his family's life has changed since relocating to England from Dagestan in 2017. "I am fond of it here," the Professional Fighters League athlete declares. "We frequently say, 'this was the country I should have been born in.'" The young man departed his home in the Caucasus region of Russia because his father was convinced a move spanning more than 3,000 miles offered superior professional 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 country's universities. However, life now looks quite different for the Ibragimov family. Ibragim is now a pro MMA fighter and is regarded as one of the leading talents in the PFL, a major MMA league. His siblings have taken a separate route in sport and have all been contracted by Manchester United – with Amir aiming for a position in the first team. "The main thing for us is to extract everything from our chosen fields," says Ibragim. "I want them to play for all of the best teams in the world. Now it is Man United, tomorrow it could be a different team." From Wrestlers to Soccer Prodigies Three of Ibragim's siblings, including Amir (left), have been signed by Manchester United. Situated in the south of Russia, Dagestan has a mystical status among fight enthusiasts for generating a slew of UFC titleholders in the past few years. The area has a long history in wrestling, excelling in the sambo discipline and creating numerous Olympic and world winners. This achievement is no accident, though, as youth from the region are often pushed to begin combat sports, particularly wrestling, practically as soon as they can stand. "As a young, my dad was always telling me and my younger brothers that we had to be strong, firstly to protect ourselves, your relatives, and your friends," states Ibragim. "So 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 observe the move from wrestling to football; obviously, it benefited my little brothers a great deal." "Some of the footballers he comes up against lack the identical foundation he has. That's why he's stocky, strong and incredibly driven – because of wrestling." Amir was just nine years old when he was put through his paces at Sheffield United. Not knowing of his real age, trainers placed him with boys significantly older. He was not intimidated by the oversight and was perfectly comfortable holding his own against older players because of his background in wrestling. "They thought Amir and I were the same 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 over the Pennines consequently. "They played Manchester United in a competition and Amir scored a brilliant free-kick," says Ibragim. "One of their scouts saw him play and selected him immediately." Six 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 train with the senior side when he achieved this in April 2023. "Do you know what he said to me? 'This is where I belong'," Ibragim reveals. "Is he able to be a first-team player for Manchester United? 100%. They should let all the young players get game time now." "I don't think they would play worse than the current starters. I believe the young guys are hungrier than the current squad members." Following that, Gazik and Muhammad, the latter once on the books of Manchester City, have also transferred to Manchester United. "Gazik, this kid is gifted," continues Ibragim. "He learned every skill faster than the others. He's a solid defender. He's going to be like a modern Rio Ferdinand for Man United." 'A Dream' 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 moved to Manchester and dedicates most of his days sharpening his MMA skills 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 never have imagined I would be learning under Khabib," Ibragim says. "He was the best fighter in the world – and we constantly used to idolize him when we were growing up." "Now, 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 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 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 with Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez," he recalls. "Today, for my brothers to be Man United players, it's similar to a dream come true." "An event at Old Trafford? It's a goal for me. I was speaking to the PFL guys about it to see if they could make it happen. It would be massive."