Those Brothers from the Dagestani Region Excelling in Mixed Martial Arts and at Man Utd.

Ibragim Ibragimov breaks into a smile as he considers how his family's life has changed since moving to England from Dagestan in 2017.

"I love it here," the Professional Fighters League star states.

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

The 21-year-old departed his homeland in the North Caucasus of Russia because his father was convinced a move spanning more than 3,000 miles promised better professional opportunities for him and his siblings.

The original 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 universities.

However, life now looks slightly different for the Ibragimov family.

Ibragim is now a professional MMA fighter and is viewed as one of the top talents in the PFL, a prominent MMA league.

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

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

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

From Wrestlers to Football Prodigies

Situated in southern Russia, Dagestan has a mythical status among combat sports enthusiasts for generating a slew of UFC titleholders in recent years.

The region has a long history in grappling, excelling in the combat sambo discipline and creating numerous Olympic and world winners.

This achievement is not a coincidence, though, as youth from the region are often encouraged to take up combat sports, particularly wrestling, almost as soon as they can walk.

"When I was a kid, my dad was constantly instructing me and my little brothers that we had to be powerful, firstly to defend yourself, your relatives, and your friends," says Ibragim.

"So we all got used to fighting, and that's 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 assisted my younger brothers a great deal."

"Many of the footballers he comes up against don't have the identical base he has. That's why he's stocky, strong and really competitive – because of wrestling."

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

He was unfazed by the oversight and was more than capable holding his own against older players because of his experience in wrestling.

"They believed Amir and I were the same age, apparently," remarks Ibragim.

Amir was signed, together with Ibragim's little brothers Gazik and Muhammad.

The family's stay in South Yorkshire was short-lived, though, as just weeks after joining the Blades, Manchester United learned of Amir's ability and he transferred across the Pennines as a result.

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

"One of their scouts watched him play and selected him straight away."

Half a dozen 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 practice with the senior side when he achieved this in April 2023.

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

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

"In my opinion they would play less effectively than the existing starters. I think the youngsters are more motivated than the present first-team players."

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

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

"He picked up everything faster than everyone else. He's a good defender. He's going to be similar to a modern Rio Ferdinand for Man United."

'The Dream' to Compete at Old Trafford

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

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

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

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

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

Fresh from training with two UFC titleholders from Dagestan, it is unsurprising Ibragim says he is eager to win a world title of his own someday.

But that does not prevent him from occasionally fantasizing of representing United and stepping out on the historic 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 legendary players," he says.

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

"An event at Old Trafford? It's a ambition for me. I was discussing with the PFL guys about it to see if they would make it happen. It would be enormous."