Those Brothers from Dagestan Excelling in MMA and at Man Utd.

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

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

"We often say, 'this was the country I ought to have been born in.'"

The young man departed his home in the Caucasus region of Russia as his father believed a move covering more than 3,000 miles promised better professional prospects for him and his siblings.

The original idea was for Ibragim and his three brothers – Amir (17), Gazik (16), and Muhammad (15) – to complete school before enrolling in one of the country's colleges.

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

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

His siblings have chosen a separate path in athletics and have all been signed by Manchester United – with Amir pushing for a position in the first team.

"The main goal for us is to squeeze everything out of our sports," says Ibragim.

"I hope them to represent every one of the best teams in the world. Now it is Man United, in the future it might be a different team."

From Grapplers to Soccer Talents

Situated in the south of Russia, Dagestan has a mythical reputation among fight fans for producing a number of UFC titleholders in the past few years.

The area has a long tradition in grappling, thriving in the combat sambo style and producing a host of Olympic and world winners.

This success is not a coincidence, however, 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 little brothers that we needed to be powerful, firstly to protect ourselves, your family, and your companions," states Ibragim.

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

"Amir was a highly skilled wrestler. You can observe the transition from wrestling to football; clearly, it helped my little brothers a great deal."

"Many of the footballers he faces lack the same foundation he has. That's why he's solid, strong and really driven – due to wrestling."

Amir was only nine years old when he was being tested at Sheffield United. Not knowing of his real age, coaches grouped him with boys five years older.

He was not intimidated by the oversight and was more than capable competing against older players because of his experience in wrestling.

"They believed Amir and I were the same age, apparently," remarks Ibragim.

Amir was signed, along with Ibragim's younger brothers Gazik and Muhammad.

The clan's time in South Yorkshire was brief, though, as just weeks after signing for the Blades, Manchester United became aware of Amir's ability and he transferred over the Pennines consequently.

"They faced Manchester United in a competition and Amir scored a brilliant free-kick," recalls Ibragim.

"One of their scouts saw him play and selected him straight away."

Half a dozen years after signing for the Manchester United club and at the age of 15, Amir became one of the most youthful players in the club's records to practice with the senior side when he did so in April 2023.

"Know what he said to me? 'Here is where I should be'," Ibragim reveals.

"Is he able to be a first-team player for Manchester United? Without a doubt. They should let all the youthful players play right now."

"In my opinion they would play worse than the existing starters. I believe the youngsters are hungrier than the present first-team players."

Following that, Gazik and Muhammad, the younger once on the books of Manchester City, have likewise transferred to Manchester United.

"Gazik, this youngster is gifted," adds Ibragim.

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

'The Dream' to Fight at Old Trafford

Ibragim has also relocated to Manchester and spends most of his days honing his MMA skills at a local gym.

In August, he spent three weeks in his native region at Khabib Nurmagomedov's gym, helping Islam Makhachev get ready for a November UFC title fight.

"I would never have imagined I would be training under Khabib," Ibragim admits.

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

"Today, I'm here in his gym and training with Islam Makhachev."

Recently training with two UFC champions from Dagestan, it is unsurprising Ibragim says he is eager to claim a world title of his own someday.

However that does not stop him from occasionally dreaming of representing United and walking out on the historic turf at Old Trafford, much like his brothers.

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

"Now, for my brothers to be Man United players, it's like a dream come true."

"An event at Old Trafford? It's a dream for me. I was speaking to the PFL officials about it to see if they could do it. It would be massive."