The Siblings from Dagestan Making Their Mark in MMA and at Manchester United.

Ibragim Ibragimov smiles as he considers how his clan's life has transformed since relocating to England from Dagestan a decade ago.

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

"We frequently comment, 'this is the country I ought to have been born in.'"

The 21-year-old left his homeland in the North Caucasus of Russia because his father believed a move covering more than 3,000 miles promised superior career opportunities for him and his brothers.

The initial idea 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 has turned out somewhat distinct for the Ibragimov household.

Ibragim is now a professional mixed martial arts athlete and is viewed as one of the prime talents in the PFL, a major MMA organization.

His siblings have taken a separate route in athletics and have all been signed by Manchester United – with Amir pushing for a spot in the first team.

"The main goal for us is to extract everything out of our chosen fields," says Ibragim.

"I hope 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 Grapplers to Soccer Talents

Located in the south of Russia, Dagestan has a mystical reputation among fight fans for generating a host of UFC champions in the past few years.

The region has a rich history in grappling, excelling in the combat sambo discipline and creating a host of Olympic and world champions.

This success is not a coincidence, though, as children from the region are frequently pushed to take up combat sports, specifically wrestling, almost as soon as they can stand.

"When I was young, my dad was always instructing me and my younger brothers that we needed to be strong, first to protect ourselves, your family, and your friends," states Ibragim.

"So we all got used to fighting, and which is why everyone understands 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; obviously, it helped my little brothers a lot."

"Some of the players he faces lack the same foundation he possesses. That's why he's solid, powerful and incredibly competitive – due to wrestling."

Amir was only nine years old when he was put through his paces at Sheffield United. Unaware of his real age, coaches grouped him with boys five years older.

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

"They thought Amir and I were the identical age, apparently," remarks Ibragim.

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

The family's stay in South Yorkshire was brief, however, as only weeks after joining the Blades, Manchester United became aware of Amir's talent and he moved over the Pennines as a result.

"They played Manchester United in a competition and Amir scored a brilliant free-kick," recalls 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 records to practice with the first team when he achieved this in April 2023.

"Do you know what he said to me? 'This is where I should be'," Ibragim says.

"Is he able to be a first-team player for Manchester United? 100%. They need to allow all the youthful players get game time now."

"In my opinion they would play worse than the existing first-team players. I think the young guys are hungrier than the present first-team players."

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

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

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

'A Goal' to Fight at Old Trafford

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

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

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

"He was the best 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 training with two UFC champions from Dagestan, it is unsurprising 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 walking out on the historic turf at Old Trafford, similar to his brothers.

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

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

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