Exclusive Q&A: Ibragim Ibragimov says he's 'on a different level’ ahead of PFL fight vs Mathys Duragrin

Ibragim Ibragimov will face Mathys Duragrin on July 5 at the PFL Europe in Brussels, and the 21-year-old is more determined than ever to win.

The two were due to fight at the PFL Europe in Paris, but the fight was rescheduled after the card in the French capital was cancelled.

At 9-0, Ibragimov (9-0) will face another undefeated fighter in Duragrin (4-0). DAZN News caught up with the Manchester fighter in the midst of training with the Manchester Top Team, and he revealed his ambitions with the PFL.

DAZN News: You were due to fight in May at the PFL Paris before the event was cancelled. You're now fighting in July in Belgium. How is the training camp going?

Ibragim Ibragimov: My training time was always good. I've been preparing for the first one, obviously. I was preparing for the 23rd of May. It was like two weeks [away]. Then I noticed that the show was being postponed, so I was a bit frustrated. But it is what it is, because I'm still growing, I'm still training. It doesn't matter when, but as soon as I got the same opponent, it doesn't matter where the fight is going to be. I'm ready to put on a show, even though it's not in Paris, it's in Belgium.

DN: What do you think of Mathys Duragrin?

II: He's the same as my other opponents. I'd even say the previous opponent was a bit better than him. That's what I would say, personally, because I don't think he's a well-rounded fighter. He's got a bit of wrestling, a bit of striking. I think he's going to be a great fighter.

DN: He's 4-0, you're 9-0, why did you call him out?

II: So firstly, it was the fight. I didn't call him out at first because we were meant to fight by contract. He was offered by PFL to fight me. But then he was thinking, then he said no, then yes. He wasn't sure. I wanted to stay active because I fought recently and I wanted to fight again because I'm still young. I've still got that hunger because I want to fight all the time. So I decided to fight again because I was dying to get a fight. So I started messaging PFL. And he was the one who wanted to fight. Apparently, he took the fight, but he was like 50/50. Nothing was 100% confirmed. So I was like, they told me the guy’s name. So I was like, is that him? But we're still chatting, him and me. Apparently, he asked for more money. And then I started calling him out because there were four weeks left, but I needed to fight. So I started talking to him, saying like, let's fight if you want to fight. And then he was like, I want to fight. I'm the only one who took the fight with you, which I respect a lot because he took the fight. Not many people are taking the fight with me.

DN: Any prediction?

II: Prediction? First-round finish for me, because I'm on a different level. It's all true because I'm training more than those guys. I've been there all my life. I've been doing the wrestling, everything. I've been literally fighting all my life. So that's how I grew up. So I'm ready for anything. These guys are not on my level. I'm sure these guys are not on my level. I'm on a different level. The way I'm training, my sparring partners, the way we're sparring in the gym, the way I'm learning, the way I'm training, the way I'm disciplined, it's on a different level. So yeah, these guys are not even close to this. That's just what I've got in my head.

DN: You fight every four months. You fought on the same card as Francis Ngannou in October before being on the same card as Usman Nurmagomedov in January. Why not take part in the world tournament?

II: I'm still young. I'm only 21 years of age. My plan was to fight in the Europe tournament, and then the World tournament. I was waiting for PFL Europe, but then I had a big opportunity to fight on the Francis Ngannou card. Then I had the big show in Dubai, one of the biggest shows in Dubai ever made, so I decided to fight there. So it doesn't really matter. For me, it's not all about money at the moment. For me, it's about building my career first, building the game so I can grow up, get stronger, feel everything I do. Because these guys who are in the tournament, they're all like, older guys. But I'm going to get there 100%. That's one of my goals anyway. I'm going to be there. Not this year, maybe next year, if not next year, then the year after. But as long as I'm fighting, I'm happy with that.

DN: You fight in the same division as a certain Lerone Murphy, from your club. Who's the strongest?

II: He is. Lerone Murphy. The way we're sparring with this guy, the way we’re training, we're on a different level. The guys are underestimating Lerone Murphy for no reason. But as you can see, he's the real deal. He's beating everyone. He's a tomb. Potentially, he'll be fighting for a title contender spot, and then he can be a UFC champion. And then I think people will start believing in him. No one trains like us. That's why we're going to be at the top.

DN: You're also from Dagestan, and you've already trained alongside Khabib Nurmagomedov. Why did you choose England and the Manchester Top Team as your gym?

II: Firstly, I live in Manchester with my whole family. I've been living here for eight years. My coach, Carl Prince, started bringing me more into MMA. He was like, you're talking to me about MMA, let's do MMA, because I wasn't really doing that at that time. I was only doing wrestling. So he was another reason. Obviously, he's my main coach. Manchester Top Team is my first team, where I started from, where I belong. But Dagestan, obviously, is my country. I go there to get experience. My previous camp, I was training there. The other camp, I was training in Dagestan. But for this camp, I decided to stay here, because first, I'm fighting in Europe. Then I think for this training camp, personally, I need to stay in the gym because I've got guys like Lerone Murphy, a lot of guys who are preparing. But Lerone Murphy, obviously, is my main partner. I think for this fight, it's better. I decided to stay here because it'll be better for me.

DN: You're only 21, what are your long-term ambitions at the PFL?

II: To be a European champion and a World champion. If not the European tournament, if they don't do 66 in Europe, I'm just going to do the World tournament.

DN: Your younger brother, Amir Ibragimov, plays for Manchester United. Two of your brothers are also players in the Manchester City and Manchester United youth teams. Did you and your brothers always want to be professional sportsmen?

II: As a kid, you don't even think about the goals, really. But you're dreaming. My brother used to dream about playing for the first team. It's a dream come true because this is how it works. I always wanted to be a fighter. I always wanted to be a fighter. I never knew I'd be fighting at this level, on this stage, with one of the biggest organisations like PFL. I would never even have thought about it a couple of years ago. But now I'm here with big opportunities, the same as my brothers. They've got massive opportunities. All my three brothers are pushing each other, training hard. So we're making things happen, relying on God, relying on Allah.

DN: Is there anyone you want to fight after this fight?

II: Not really, to be honest. Whoever, whenever, I'm ready. That's the thing for me personally. I never had any names in my mind. Whoever PFL offer me, I'm ready.