Those Brothers from Dagestan Making Their Mark in Mixed Martial Arts and with Manchester United.

Ibragim Ibragimov smiles as he thinks about how his clan's life has changed since moving to England from Dagestan a decade ago.

"I am fond of it here," the Professional Fighters League competitor remarks.

"My father and I frequently comment, 'this is the nation I ought to have been born in.'"

The young man departed his home in the Caucasus region of Russia because his father was convinced a move covering more than 3,000 miles promised better career opportunities for him and his brothers.

The original plan was for Ibragim and his three brothers – Amir (17), Gazik (16), and Muhammad (15) – to complete their education 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 viewed as one of the prime talents in the PFL, a prominent MMA league.

His siblings have chosen a different path in athletics and have all been contracted by Manchester United – with Amir aiming for a place in the senior squad.

"The primary goal for us is to squeeze everything from our sports," says Ibragim.

"I hope them to represent all of the top teams in the world. Now it is Man United, in the future it could be a another team."

From Grapplers to Soccer Talents

Located in the south of Russia, Dagestan has a mystical reputation among combat sports fans for generating a host of UFC titleholders in recent years.

The area has a long tradition in wrestling, excelling in the sambo style and creating a host of Olympic and world champions.

This success is not a coincidence, however, as youth from the region are often pushed to take up combat sports, specifically wrestling, almost as soon as they can walk.

"When I was young, my dad was always instructing me and my younger brothers that we had to be powerful, firstly to protect ourselves, your family, and your companions," says Ibragim.

"So 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 excellent wrestler. You can observe the move from wrestling to football; obviously, it benefited my little brothers a lot."

"Many of the footballers he comes up against don't have the same base he possesses. That's why he's stocky, powerful and really driven – due to wrestling."

Amir was only nine years old when he was being tested at Sheffield United. Unaware of his actual age, trainers placed him with boys five years older.

He was not intimidated by the oversight and was perfectly comfortable competing against older players because of his background in wrestling.

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

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

The family's stay in South Yorkshire was short-lived, 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 tournament and Amir netted a spectacular free-kick," recalls Ibragim.

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

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

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

"Can he be a first-team player for Manchester United? Absolutely. They need to allow all the youthful players play right now."

"In my opinion they would play less effectively than the current first-team players. I believe the young guys are hungrier than the present first-team players."

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

"Gazik, this kid is gifted," continues Ibragim.

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

'The Goal' to Fight at Old Trafford

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

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

"I would never have thought I would be learning under Khabib," Ibragim says.

"He was the best 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 working with two UFC champions from Dagestan, it is unsurprising Ibragim says he is eager to claim a world title of his own someday.

But that does not stop him from sometimes dreaming of representing United and stepping out on the hallowed 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 recalls.

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

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