Those Brothers from Dagestan Making Their Mark in Mixed Martial Arts and with Man Utd.

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

"I am fond of it here," the Professional Fighters League athlete states.

"We often comment, 'this is the country I should have been born in.'"

The 21-year-old departed his home in the North Caucasus of Russia as his father believed a move spanning more than 3,000 miles offered better professional opportunities for him and his brothers.

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

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

Ibragim is now a pro mixed martial arts athlete and is regarded as one of the leading prospects in the PFL, a leading MMA organization.

His siblings have taken a different route in sport and have each been signed by Manchester United – with Amir pushing for a place in the senior squad.

"Our key thing for us is to extract the maximum from our sports," says Ibragim.

"I want them to represent all of the best teams in the world. Today it is Man United, tomorrow it might be a another team."

From Grapplers to Football Prodigies

Located in southern Russia, Dagestan has a mythical reputation among fight fans for producing a slew of UFC champions in recent years.

The area has a rich tradition in wrestling, thriving in the combat sambo discipline and producing a host of Olympic and world champions.

This achievement is no accident, however, as children from the region are frequently pushed to take up combat sports, particularly wrestling, almost as soon as they can walk.

"As a a kid, my dad was always telling me and my younger brothers that we needed to be strong, first to defend yourself, your relatives, and your friends," states Ibragim.

"Therefore we all got used to fighting, and which is why people understands how to fight in Dagestan. It's unsurprising."

"Amir was a excellent wrestler. You can see the transition from wrestling to football; obviously, it assisted my little brothers a lot."

"Many of the footballers he faces don't have the same foundation he has. That's why he's stocky, powerful and incredibly driven – due to 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 significantly older.

He was unfazed by the mistake and was more than comfortable holding his own against older players thanks to his experience in wrestling.

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

Amir was signed, together with Ibragim's little brothers Gazik and Muhammad.

The family's time in South Yorkshire was short-lived, however, as only weeks after joining the Blades, Manchester United learned of Amir's talent and he moved across the Pennines consequently.

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

"One of their talent spotters watched him play and selected him straight away."

Six years after signing for the Manchester United club and at the age of 15, Amir was one of the youngest players in the club's history to train with the first team when he did so in April 2023.

"Know what he said to me? 'Here is where I belong'," Ibragim says.

"Is he able to be a first-team player for Manchester United? Without a doubt. They need to let all the young players get game time now."

"In my opinion they would play less effectively than the existing starters. I believe the young guys are more motivated than the present first-team players."

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

"Gazik, this youngster is talented," continues Ibragim.

"He learned every skill quicker than everyone else. He's a solid defender. He's going to be similar to a new Rio Ferdinand for Man United."

'A Goal' to Compete at the Theatre of Dreams

Ibragim has now relocated to Manchester and spends most of his days perfecting his MMA abilities at a local gym.

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

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

"He was the greatest fighter in the world – and we constantly used to look up to him when we were young."

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

Recently training with two UFC titleholders from Dagestan, it is unsurprising Ibragim says he is desperate to win a world title of his own one day.

However that does not stop him from sometimes dreaming of playing for United and stepping out on the historic turf at Old Trafford, much like his brothers.

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

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

"A fight at Old Trafford? It's a dream for me. I was discussing with the PFL officials about it to see if they would do it. It would be enormous."