Those Brothers from Dagestan Making Their Mark in MMA and with Manchester United.

Ibragim Ibragimov breaks into a smile as he reflects on how his clan's life has changed since moving to England from Dagestan a decade ago.

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

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

The 21-year-old left his homeland in the Caucasus region of Russia as his father was convinced a move covering more than 3,000 miles offered 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 their education before enrolling in one of the nation's universities.

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

Ibragim is now a professional MMA fighter and is viewed as one of the prime talents in the PFL, a leading MMA organization.

His siblings have taken a different path in athletics and have all been signed by Manchester United – with Amir aiming for a spot in the senior squad.

"The main thing for us is to extract the maximum out of our chosen fields," explains Ibragim.

"I desire them to play for every one of the finest teams in the world. Today it is Man United, tomorrow it might be a another team."

From Wrestlers to Football Talents

Situated in southern Russia, Dagestan has a mythical status among fight fans for producing a host of UFC titleholders in recent years.

The area has a long tradition in wrestling, excelling in the combat sambo style and producing numerous Olympic and world champions.

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

"When I was young, my dad was always telling me and my younger brothers that we had to be strong, firstly to defend yourself, your relatives, and your friends," states Ibragim.

"Therefore we all became accustomed to fighting, and which is why people knows how to fight in Dagestan. It's not a surprise."

"Amir was a very good wrestler. You can see the transition from wrestling to football; clearly, it benefited my little brothers a great deal."

"Some of the players he faces lack the same foundation he has. That's why he's stocky, strong 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, coaches placed him with boys five years older.

He was not intimidated by the mistake and was perfectly comfortable competing against older players thanks to his experience in wrestling.

"They thought 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 stay in South Yorkshire was short-lived, however, as only weeks after signing for the Blades, Manchester United became aware of Amir's ability and he transferred across the Pennines consequently.

"They played Manchester United in a competition and Amir scored a spectacular free-kick," says Ibragim.

"One of their talent spotters watched 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 most youthful players in the club's history to practice with the first team when he achieved this in April 2023.

"Know what he told me? 'This is where I should be'," Ibragim reveals.

"Is he able to 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 worse than the existing starters. I believe the young guys are hungrier than the current first-team players."

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

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

"He learned every skill quicker than everyone else. He's a good defender. He's going to be like a modern Rio Ferdinand for Man United."

'A Goal' to Fight at the Theatre of Dreams

Ibragim has also moved to Manchester and dedicates most of his days honing 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 get ready for a late-year UFC championship bout.

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

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

"Now, 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 states he is eager to win a world title of his own someday.

However that does not prevent him from sometimes dreaming of representing United and walking out on the historic 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 legendary players," he recalls.

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

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