The Siblings from the Dagestani Region Making Their Mark in Mixed Martial Arts and at Man Utd.

Ibragim Ibragimov smiles as he reflects on how his family's life has changed since relocating to England from Dagestan in 2017.

"I adore it here," the Professional Fighters League competitor declares.

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

The 21-year-old departed his home in the Caucasus region of Russia because his father was convinced a relocation spanning more than 3,000 miles offered superior career opportunities 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 joining one of the nation's colleges.

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

Ibragim is now a professional mixed martial arts athlete and is regarded as one of the top prospects in the PFL, a major MMA organization.

His brothers have chosen a different path in athletics and have each been contracted by Manchester United – with Amir vying for a spot in the first team.

"The main thing for us is to squeeze the maximum from our chosen fields," says Ibragim.

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

From Grapplers to Soccer Prodigies

Situated in the south of Russia, Dagestan has a mythical reputation among fight fans for producing a host of UFC titleholders in the past few years.

The region has a long tradition in wrestling, excelling in the sambo style and creating numerous Olympic and world winners.

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

"As a young, my dad was always instructing me and my younger brothers that we had to be strong, firstly to protect ourselves, your family, and your companions," says Ibragim.

"So we all got used to fighting, and which is why everyone knows how to fight in Dagestan. It's not a surprise."

"Amir was a excellent wrestler. You can see the move from wrestling to football; clearly, it helped my younger brothers a lot."

"Some of the players he comes up against lack the identical base he possesses. That's why he's solid, strong and incredibly competitive – due to wrestling."

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

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

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

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

The family's stay in South Yorkshire was brief, however, as just weeks after joining the Blades, Manchester United became aware of Amir's talent and he transferred across the Pennines consequently.

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

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

Six years after signing for the Old Trafford club and at the age of 15, Amir became one of the most youthful players in the club's records to practice with the senior side when he achieved this in April 2023.

"Do you know what he told me? 'Here is where I should be'," Ibragim reveals.

"Can he be a first-team player for Manchester United? Without a doubt. They need to let all the youthful players play now."

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

Since then, 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 everything quicker than the others. He's a good defender. He's going to be similar to a modern Rio Ferdinand for Man United."

'A Goal' to Fight at the Theatre of Dreams

Ibragim has now moved to Manchester and spends most of his days perfecting his MMA abilities 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 November UFC title fight.

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

"He was the greatest fighter in the world – and we always used to look up to him when we were growing up."

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

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

However that does not stop him from sometimes dreaming of representing United and walking out on the hallowed turf at Old Trafford, similar to his brothers.

"I had a PlayStation at home and I constantly used to play as Man United, scoring with Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez," 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 guys about it to see if they could do it. It would be massive."