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

Ibragim Ibragimov breaks into a smile as he considers how his family's life has changed since relocating to England from Dagestan a decade ago.

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

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

The 21-year-old left his home in the Caucasus region of Russia because his father believed a move covering more than 3,000 miles offered superior career prospects for him and his brothers.

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

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

Ibragim is now a professional MMA fighter and is seen as one of the leading prospects in the PFL, a leading MMA league.

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

"Our key goal for us is to extract everything out of our sports," says Ibragim.

"I desire them to represent every one of the finest teams in the world. Now it is Man United, tomorrow it might be a different team."

Starting as Wrestlers to Football Talents

Situated in the south of Russia, Dagestan holds a mystical reputation among fight enthusiasts for generating a slew of UFC champions in recent years.

The area has a long tradition in grappling, excelling in the combat sambo discipline and producing a host of Olympic and world champions.

This success is no accident, though, as youth from the region are often pushed to begin combat sports, specifically wrestling, practically as soon as they can stand.

"When I was a kid, my dad was always telling me and my younger brothers that we needed to be strong, firstly to protect ourselves, your family, and your companions," states Ibragim.

"So we all became accustomed to fighting, and that's why everyone understands how to fight in Dagestan. It's unsurprising."

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

"Some of the footballers he comes up against lack the identical foundation he has. That's why he's solid, powerful and really driven – because of 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 five years older.

He was not intimidated 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, along with Ibragim's little brothers Gazik and Muhammad.

The family's time in South Yorkshire was brief, however, as only weeks after signing for the Blades, Manchester United learned of Amir's talent and he transferred across the Pennines consequently.

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

"One of their scouts saw him play and picked him immediately."

Six years after joining the Manchester United club and at the age of 15, Amir was one of the most youthful players in the club's history to practice with the senior side when he achieved this in April 2023.

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

"Can he be a first-team player for Manchester United? Absolutely. They need to let all the youthful players get game time now."

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

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

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

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

'The Goal' to Compete at Old Trafford

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

In August, he passed three weeks in his homeland at Khabib Nurmagomedov's gym, helping Islam Makhachev get ready for a late-year UFC championship bout.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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