- Ibragim Ibragimov will step in the cage for PFL’s blockbuster event on Saturday
- The Russian MMA star opened up on his close ties with Manchester United
- Three of Ibragimov’s brothers are currently within the United youth teams
In the world of sports, few tales are as compelling as that of a family of athletes.
Whether that be the Klitschko brothers in boxing, the Williams sisters in tennis or even the Haaland family in football, these stories are easy to be enthralled by.
And that’s no different for the Ibragimov family, which consists of three brothers that are currently within the Manchester United set-up and one who has made his name in the world of mixed martial arts.
Eldest brother Ibragim Ibragimov is preparing to continue his MMA legacy at the Professional Fighter League’s (PFL) ‘Battle of the Giants’ event on Saturday night – where he will look to extend his impressive 7-0 record.
The featherweight star will take on Nacho Campos in Saudi Arabia in what will be just his second fight since signing with the promotion.
Speaking ahead of the bout, Ibragimov said: ‘It means a lot to me to fight in Saudi on one of the biggest PFL cards with names like Francis Ngannou and Cris Cyborg.
‘It’s a big opportunity for me to show how good I am on a big platform like the PFL. And I will show just how good I am on Saturday night.
‘Obviously, having an undefeated record is good. I love winning and I hate losing! That’s why I’m undefeated’.
Before flying out to Riyadh for the fight, Ibragimov was welcomed to Old Trafford by Manchester United to wish him luck for the highly-anticipated bout.
Ibragimov’s connection with the Red Devils runs deep given that his three younger brothers are all within the youth set up – with 16-year-old brother Amir tipped to break into the United first-team soon.
He said: ‘My brother’s been training with the first team as well. I reckon this year, maybe next year he’ll be in the first team.
‘My two little brothers as well play for Man United so they’ll make it too. I believe in them. And then maybe in the future we’ll bring PFL over to Old Trafford and make it a big show.’
Though his brother Amir struggled with injuries over the last year, he has returned to form at both U18 and U17 action – with nine-goal contributions in just six games.
Ibragimov said: ‘He’s doing well right now. He’s on a good stage now. He’s about to make it first team.
‘He had a picture with Ferguson, it was at the start and then he scored the winning goal for the England team. So it’s a big opportunity for all of us.’
Younger brothers Gazik, 15, and Muhammad, 12, are also part of United’s set-up and were lucky enough to play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo’s son, when the Portugal superstar was at United.
Ibragimov said: ‘When Ronaldo came, my little brother played with Ronaldo’s son. My little brother Gazik played with Ronaldo’s son for the same team.
‘They are still good friends. So the only thing we did was send a t-shirt over to his house so he signed it and brought it back.’
While Ibragimov’s younger brothers continue to make an impact on the pitch for United, Ibragim will look to do the same when he takes to the SmartCage on Saturday night.
