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

Ibragim Ibragimov smiles as he thinks about how his family's life has transformed since moving to England from Dagestan in 2017.

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

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

The 21-year-old departed his home in the Caucasus region of Russia because his father believed a relocation covering more than 3,000 miles would provide superior professional prospects for him and his siblings.

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

But, life has turned out somewhat different for the Ibragimov family.

Ibragim is now a professional MMA athlete and is viewed as one of the top prospects in the PFL, a prominent MMA league.

His brothers have taken a separate route in athletics and have all been signed by Manchester United – with Amir vying for a spot in the first team.

"The main thing for us is to squeeze the maximum out of our sports," says Ibragim.

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

From Wrestlers to Soccer Talents

Situated in southern Russia, Dagestan holds a mythical status among fight enthusiasts for generating a slew of UFC titleholders in the past few years.

The region has a rich tradition in grappling, thriving in the combat sambo style and producing numerous Olympic and world champions.

This achievement is not a coincidence, though, as youth from the region are frequently pushed to take up fighting, specifically wrestling, almost as soon as they can stand.

"As a young, my dad was constantly instructing me and my younger brothers that we needed to be strong, firstly to protect yourself, your relatives, and your companions," states Ibragim.

"Therefore we all got used to combat, and which is why people understands how to fight in Dagestan. It's not a surprise."

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

"Many of the footballers he comes up against don't have the same foundation he has. That's why he's solid, powerful and really competitive – because of wrestling."

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

He was unfazed by the oversight and was perfectly capable holding his own against older players because of his background in wrestling.

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

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

The clan's time in South Yorkshire was brief, though, as only weeks after joining the Blades, Manchester United learned of Amir's talent and he transferred over the Pennines as a result.

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

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

Half a dozen years after joining the Manchester United club and at the age of 15, Amir became one of the youngest players in the club's records to train with the first team when he achieved this in April 2023.

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

"Can he be a first-team player for Manchester United? Without a doubt. They need to allow all the young players play right now."

"I don't think they would play worse than the existing first-team players. I believe the young guys are hungrier than the current first-team players."

Following that, Gazik and Muhammad, the younger once part of the academy of Manchester City, have likewise made the move to Manchester United.

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

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

'The Goal' to Compete at the Theatre of Dreams

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

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

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

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

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

Fresh from training with two UFC titleholders from Dagestan, it is no surprise Ibragim says he is desperate to claim a world title of his own someday.

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

"I owned a PlayStation at home and I constantly used to play as Man United, scoring goals with legendary players," he recalls.

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

"A fight at Old Trafford? It's a dream for me. I was speaking to the PFL officials about it to see if they would make it happen. It would be huge."