Those Brothers from the Dagestani Region Excelling in Mixed Martial Arts and at Man Utd.

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

"I am fond of it here," the PFL competitor remarks.

"My father and I often remark, 'this is the nation I should have been born in.'"

The 21-year-old left his homeland in the Caucasus region of Russia because his father believed a relocation covering more than 3,000 miles promised superior professional prospects 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.

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

Ibragim is now a professional mixed martial arts athlete and is seen as one of the top talents in the PFL, a leading MMA organization.

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

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

"I desire them to represent all of the best teams in the world. Today it is Man United, in the future it might be a different team."

From Grapplers to Soccer Talents

Situated in southern Russia, Dagestan holds a mythical reputation among fight fans for producing a host of UFC champions in recent years.

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

This achievement is no accident, however, as children from the region are frequently encouraged to take up fighting, specifically wrestling, practically as soon as they can walk.

"As a a kid, my dad was constantly instructing me and my younger brothers that we had to be strong, firstly to protect yourself, your relatives, and your companions," 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 very good wrestler. You can see the transition from wrestling to football; clearly, it assisted my little brothers a lot."

"Some of the players he comes up against lack the same base he possesses. That's why he's solid, powerful and really driven – because of wrestling."

Amir was only nine years old when he was put through his paces at Sheffield United. Not knowing of his actual age, trainers grouped him with boys significantly older.

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

"They believed Amir and I were the same age, so the story goes," remarks Ibragim.

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

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

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

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

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

"Do you know what he told me? 'This is where I belong'," Ibragim says.

"Is he able to be a first-team player for Manchester United? Absolutely. They should allow all the young players play now."

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

Since then, Gazik and Muhammad, the younger once part of the academy of Manchester City, have also transferred to Manchester United.

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

"He learned every skill faster than the others. He's a solid 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 honing his MMA abilities at a local gym.

In August, he passed three weeks in his homeland at Khabib Nurmagomedov's gym, assisting Islam Makhachev prepare for a November UFC championship bout.

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

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

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

Fresh from training with two UFC champions from Dagestan, it is no surprise Ibragim says he is eager to win a world title of his own one day.

But that does not prevent him from occasionally dreaming of representing United and stepping out on the hallowed turf at Old Trafford, similar to his brothers.

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

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

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