The Brothers from Dagestan Excelling in Mixed Martial Arts and with Manchester United.

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

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

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

The 21-year-old departed his home in the North Caucasus of Russia because his father was convinced a relocation covering more than 3,000 miles promised superior career opportunities for him and his siblings.

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

However, life has turned out slightly different for the Ibragimov family.

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

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

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

"I hope them to play for all of the top teams in the world. Now it is Man United, in the future it might be a different team."

Starting as Wrestlers to Football Prodigies

Situated in southern Russia, Dagestan holds a mystical status among combat sports fans for producing a number of UFC titleholders in the past few years.

The region has a rich history in wrestling, excelling in the sambo discipline and creating a host of Olympic and world winners.

This achievement is not a coincidence, however, as youth from the region are frequently encouraged to begin fighting, specifically wrestling, almost as soon as they can stand.

"As a young, my dad was constantly instructing me and my little brothers that we had to be powerful, first to defend yourself, your relatives, and your friends," says Ibragim.

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

"Amir was a excellent wrestler. You can see the move from wrestling to football; clearly, it helped my little brothers a great deal."

"Some of the players he faces don't have the identical foundation he has. That's why he's solid, strong and incredibly competitive – because of wrestling."

Amir was just nine years old when he was put through his paces at Sheffield United. Unaware of his actual age, coaches grouped him with boys five years older.

He was unfazed by the mistake and was more than capable holding his own against older players because of his background in wrestling.

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

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

The clan's time in South Yorkshire was short-lived, though, as just 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 competition and Amir netted a brilliant free-kick," recalls Ibragim.

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

Half a dozen years after signing for the Old Trafford club and at the age of 15, Amir was one of the most youthful players in the club's history to train with the first team when he achieved this in April 2023.

"Know what he told me? 'This 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."

"In my opinion they would play less effectively than the existing first-team players. I believe the youngsters 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 transferred to Manchester United.

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

"He picked up everything faster than everyone else. He's a good defender. He's going to be like a modern Rio Ferdinand for Man United."

'A Dream' to Fight at the Theatre of Dreams

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

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

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

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

Fresh from training with two UFC titleholders from Dagestan, it is unsurprising Ibragim states he is eager to win a world title of his own someday.

But that does not stop him from sometimes dreaming of playing for United and walking out on the historic turf at Old Trafford, similar to 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 fantasy realized."

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