Those Brothers from the Dagestani Region Making Their Mark in MMA and with Man Utd.

Ibragim Ibragimov grins as he thinks about how his clan's life has changed since moving to England from Dagestan eight years ago.

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

"We often say, 'this was the country I should have been born in.'"

The young man left his home in the North Caucasus of Russia because his father was convinced a relocation covering more than 3,000 miles would provide superior professional prospects for him and his siblings.

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 country's colleges.

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

Ibragim is now a professional MMA athlete and is seen as one of the prime prospects in the PFL, a prominent MMA league.

His siblings have chosen a separate route in sport and have each been contracted by Manchester United – with Amir vying for a place in the senior squad.

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

"I want them to represent all of the finest teams in the world. Today it is Man United, in the future it could be a another team."

Starting as Grapplers to Soccer Prodigies

Situated in the south of Russia, Dagestan holds a mythical reputation among combat sports enthusiasts for generating a host of UFC champions in the past few years.

The area has a long tradition in wrestling, thriving in the sambo discipline and creating numerous Olympic and world champions.

This success is no accident, however, as youth from the region are often encouraged to take up fighting, specifically wrestling, practically as soon as they can walk.

"As a young, my dad was constantly telling me and my younger brothers that we had to be powerful, firstly to protect ourselves, your relatives, and your companions," states Ibragim.

"Therefore we all got used to fighting, and which is why everyone understands how to fight in Dagestan. It's unsurprising."

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

"Many of the players he faces lack the identical foundation he has. That's why he's stocky, powerful and incredibly driven – due to wrestling."

Amir was just nine years old when he was put through his paces at Sheffield United. Unaware of his actual age, trainers placed him with boys significantly older.

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

"They thought Amir and I were the same age, apparently," says Ibragim.

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

The clan's stay in South Yorkshire was short-lived, though, as only weeks after joining the Blades, Manchester United became aware of Amir's talent and he transferred across the Pennines as a result.

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

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

Half a dozen years after joining the Old Trafford club and at the age of 15, Amir became one of the youngest players in the club's records to train with the senior side when he did so in April 2023.

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

"Can he be a first-team player for Manchester United? Absolutely. They should let all the young players play right now."

"I don't think 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 likewise made the move to Manchester United.

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

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

'The Goal' to Compete at Old Trafford

Ibragim has now moved to Manchester and dedicates most of his days honing his MMA abilities at Manchester Top Team.

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

"I would 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 growing up."

"Today, I'm here in his gym and sparring alongside Islam Makhachev."

Recently working with two UFC titleholders from Dagestan, it is unsurprising Ibragim says he is eager to claim a world title of his own someday.

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

"I owned a PlayStation at home and I always used to play as Man United, scoring with legendary players," he says.

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

"A fight at Old Trafford? It's a goal for me. I was discussing with the PFL officials about it to see if they could do it. It would be huge."