Those Brothers from the Dagestani Region Excelling in MMA and with Man Utd.

Ibragim Ibragimov smiles as he reflects on how his family's life has evolved since relocating to England from Dagestan a decade ago.

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

"We often say, 'this is the nation I ought to have been born in.'"

The young man departed his home in the North Caucasus of Russia as his father was convinced a relocation covering more than 3,000 miles promised superior career prospects for him and his brothers.

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

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

Ibragim is now a pro MMA athlete and is regarded as one of the prime prospects in the PFL, a leading MMA league.

His siblings have taken a separate route in sport and have each been signed by Manchester United – with Amir pushing for a position in the first team.

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

"I want them to play for all of the finest teams in the world. Now it is Man United, tomorrow it could be a different team."

From Grapplers to Football Prodigies

Located in southern Russia, Dagestan holds a mythical status among fight fans for producing a number of UFC titleholders in the past few years.

The area has a long tradition in wrestling, excelling in the sambo discipline and producing numerous Olympic and world winners.

This achievement is not a coincidence, however, as children from the region are often pushed to begin combat sports, particularly wrestling, practically as soon as they can stand.

"As a young, my dad was always instructing me and my little brothers that we had to be powerful, first to defend ourselves, your family, and your companions," says Ibragim.

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

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

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

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

He was unfazed by the mistake and was perfectly 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 family's time in South Yorkshire was brief, however, as just weeks after signing for the Blades, Manchester United became aware of Amir's talent and he moved across the Pennines consequently.

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

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

Six years after joining the Manchester United club and at the age of 15, Amir became one of the youngest players in the club's records to train with the first team when he achieved this in April 2023.

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

"Can he be a first-team player for Manchester United? 100%. They should allow all the youthful players get game time right now."

"I don't think they would play worse than the existing first-team players. I think the young guys are hungrier than the present squad members."

Following that, Gazik and Muhammad, the latter once on the books of Manchester City, have likewise transferred to Manchester United.

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

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

'A Goal' to Fight at Old Trafford

Ibragim has now moved to Manchester and dedicates most of his days sharpening his MMA abilities at a local gym.

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

"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 idolize him when we were growing up."

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

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

However that does not prevent him from occasionally dreaming of playing for United and walking out on the hallowed turf at Old Trafford, much like his brothers.

"I owned a PlayStation at home and I constantly 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 like a fantasy realized."

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