The Brothers from Dagestan Excelling in MMA and at Manchester United.

Ibragim Ibragimov smiles as he considers how his family's life has changed since moving to England from Dagestan eight years ago.

"I adore it here," the PFL athlete remarks.

"We frequently say, 'this is the nation I should have been born in.'"

The young man departed his homeland in the Caucasus region of Russia because his father was convinced a relocation covering more than 3,000 miles would provide superior career opportunities for him and his brothers.

The initial idea was for Ibragim and his three brothers – Amir (17), Gazik (16), and Muhammad (15) – to finish their education before joining one of the nation's universities.

However, life now looks quite different for the Ibragimov family.

Ibragim is now a professional mixed martial arts athlete and is seen as one of the prime talents in the PFL, a major MMA league.

His siblings have chosen a different path in athletics and have each been contracted by Manchester United – with Amir pushing for a position in the first team.

"The primary goal for us is to extract the maximum from our chosen fields," says Ibragim.

"I hope them to play for every one of the finest teams in the world. Now it is Man United, in the future it could be a different team."

Starting as Grapplers to Soccer Talents

Situated in the south of Russia, Dagestan has a mythical status among fight enthusiasts for producing a host of UFC champions in recent years.

The region has a long history in wrestling, excelling in the sambo style and creating numerous Olympic and world winners.

This achievement is no accident, however, as children from the region are often encouraged to begin combat sports, particularly wrestling, practically as soon as they can stand.

"When I was a kid, my dad was constantly instructing me and my little brothers that we needed to be strong, firstly to protect yourself, your relatives, and your companions," states Ibragim.

"So we all became accustomed to fighting, and that's why people knows how to fight in Dagestan. It's not a surprise."

"Amir was a highly skilled wrestler. You can see the transition from wrestling to football; obviously, it benefited my younger brothers a lot."

"Many of the footballers he faces don't have the same base he possesses. 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. Not knowing of his actual age, trainers placed him with boys five years older.

He was not intimidated by the mistake and was perfectly comfortable competing against older players thanks to his experience in wrestling.

"They thought Amir and I were the same age, so the story goes," says Ibragim.

Amir was recruited, together with Ibragim's younger brothers Gazik and Muhammad.

The clan's stay in South Yorkshire was short-lived, though, as only weeks after joining the Blades, Manchester United learned of Amir's talent and he moved across the Pennines as a result.

"They faced Manchester United in a tournament and Amir netted a spectacular free-kick," recalls Ibragim.

"One of their scouts saw him play and selected him immediately."

Six years after joining the Old Trafford club and at the age of 15, Amir became one of the most youthful players in the club's history to train with the first team when he achieved this in April 2023.

"Do you know what he told me? 'This is where I should be'," Ibragim reveals.

"Is he able to be a first-team player for Manchester United? Absolutely. They need to let all the youthful players get game time now."

"In my opinion they would play worse than the current first-team players. I believe the youngsters are hungrier 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 gifted," continues Ibragim.

"He picked up every skill faster than the others. He's a good defender. He's going to be similar to a new Rio Ferdinand for Man United."

'A Goal' to Compete at Old Trafford

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

In August, he spent three weeks in his homeland at Khabib Nurmagomedov's gym, helping Islam Makhachev get ready for a late-year UFC championship bout.

"I would never have thought I would be learning under Khabib," Ibragim admits.

"He was the best fighter in the world – and we constantly used to idolize him when we were young."

"Now, I'm here in his gym and sparring alongside Islam Makhachev."

Fresh from working with two UFC titleholders from Dagestan, it is no surprise Ibragim states he is eager to win a world title of his own someday.

However that does not stop him from occasionally fantasizing of playing for United and stepping out on the hallowed turf at Old Trafford, similar to his brothers.

"I owned a PlayStation at home and I constantly used to play as Man United, scoring goals with Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez," he recalls.

"Today, for my brothers to be Man United players, it's like a fantasy realized."

"An event at Old Trafford? It's a ambition for me. I was discussing with the PFL guys about it to see if they would do it. It would be enormous."