Manchester United’s Amir Ibragimov & MMA’s Ibragim Ibragimov dream

Ibragim Ibragimov cracks a smile as he reflects on how his family’s life has changed since moving to England from Dagestan eight years ago.

«I love it here,» the Professional Fighters League (PFL) star tells BBC Sport.

«My dad and I always say, ‘this is the country I should have been born in’.»

The 21-year-old left his home in the North Caucasus region in 2017 because his father believed a move more than 3,000 miles across Europe would offer better career opportunities for him and his siblings.

The plan was for Ibragim and his three brothers – Amir (17), Gazik (16), and Muhammad (15) – to finish school before enrolling in one of the country’s universities.

But life looks slightly different for the Ibragimov family now.

Ibragim is a professional mixed martial arts fighter and is regarded as one of the top prospects in PFL, one of the leading MMA leagues.

His brothers have taken a different path in sport and have all been signed by Manchester United – with Amir pushing for a place in the first team.

«The main thing for us is to squeeze everything out of our sports,» says Ibragim.

«I want them to play for all of the best teams in the world. Today it is Man Utd, tomorrow it could be a different team.»

Dagestan, which is a republic of Russia in the North Caucasus region, has a mythical status among fight fans after producing a slew of UFC champions in recent years.

The republic has a long tradition in wrestling, notably in the sambo form of the discipline, and has produced a host of Olympic and world champions in the sport.

Children from the area are often encouraged to take up wrestling almost as soon as they are able to stand.

«When I was a kid, my dad was always telling me and my little brothers that we had to be strong, firstly to protect yourself, your family, and your friends,» says Ibragim.

«So we all got used to fighting, and that’s why everyone knows how to fight in Dagestan. It’s not a surprise.

«Amir was a very good wrestler. You can see the transition from wrestling to football; obviously, it helped my little brothers a lot.

«Some of the footballers he comes up against don’t have the same base he has. That’s why he’s stocky, strong and really competitive – because of wrestling.»

Amir was just nine years old when he was put through his paces at Sheffield United. Unaware of his age, coaches grouped him with boys five years older, but he was unfazed and held his own because of his experience in wrestling.

«They thought Amir and I were the same age, apparently,» says Ibragim.

Amir was signed up, along with Ibragim’s little brothers Gazik and Muhammad.

The family’s stay in South Yorkshire was short, however, as just weeks after signing for the Blades, Manchester United became aware of Amir’s talent and he moved across the Pennines.

«They played Manchester United in a tournament and Amir scored a brilliant free-kick,» says Ibragim.

«One of their scouts saw him play and picked him straight away.»

Six years after joining the Old Trafford 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 did so in April 2023.

«Do you know what he said to me? ‘This is where I belong’,» Ibragim says.

«Can he be a first-team player for Manchester United? 100%. They need to let all the young players play right now.

«I don’t think they would play worse than the first-team players. I think the young guys are hungrier than the current first-team players.»

Since then, Gazik and Muhammad, the latter 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 quicker than everyone else. He’s a good defender. He’s going to be like a new Rio Ferdinand for Man Utd.»

Ibragim has also relocated to Manchester and spends most of his days honing his MMA skills at Manchester Top Team.

In August, he spent three weeks in his homeland at Khabib Nurmagomedov’s gym, helping Islam Makhachev prepare for the November UFC title fight against Jack Della Maddalena.

«I would never have thought I would be training under Khabib,» Ibragim says.

«He was the best fighter in the world – and we always used to look up to him when we were growing up.

«Now, I’m here in his gym and training with Islam Makhachev.»

Fresh from training with two UFC champions hailing from Dagestan, it is no surprise Ibragim says he is desperate to win a world title of his own one day.

But that does not stop him from occasionally dreaming of playing for United and stepping 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 Utd on PES, scoring with [Cristiano] Ronaldo, [Wayne] Rooney and [Carlos] Tevez,» he says.

«Now, for my brothers to be Man Utd players, it’s like a dream come true.

«A fight at Old Trafford? It’s a dream for me. I was speaking to the PFL guys about it to see if they would do it. It would be huge.»