The Brothers from Dagestan Excelling in Mixed Martial Arts and with Manchester United.

Ibragim Ibragimov breaks into a smile as he thinks about how his clan's life has transformed since moving to England from Dagestan a decade ago.

"I adore it here," the PFL athlete declares.

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

The young man left his homeland in the Caucasus region of Russia as his father was convinced a move spanning more than 3,000 miles promised superior career prospects for him and his brothers.

The original plan was for Ibragim and his three brothers – Amir (17), Gazik (16), and Muhammad (15) – to complete their education before joining one of the country's universities.

But, life now looks slightly distinct for the Ibragimov family.

Ibragim is now a professional mixed martial arts athlete and is regarded as one of the leading prospects in the PFL, a prominent MMA league.

His siblings have chosen a separate path in sport and have all been contracted by Manchester United – with Amir vying for a position in the senior squad.

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

"I hope them to represent every one of the best teams in the world. Now it is Man United, in the future it could be a another team."

Starting as Grapplers to Soccer Talents

Situated in southern Russia, Dagestan has a mystical status among combat sports enthusiasts for generating a host of UFC champions in the past few years.

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

This success is not a coincidence, however, as youth from the region are often encouraged to begin combat sports, specifically wrestling, almost as soon as they can walk.

"As a a kid, my dad was always telling me and my little brothers that we needed to be powerful, firstly to protect yourself, your family, and your companions," states Ibragim.

"Therefore we all got used to fighting, and that's why people knows how to fight in Dagestan. It's unsurprising."

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

"Some of the footballers he comes up against don't have the same foundation he possesses. That's why he's solid, strong and incredibly competitive – because of wrestling."

Amir was only nine years old when he was being tested at Sheffield United. Not knowing of his actual age, coaches grouped him with boys five years older.

He was not intimidated by the mistake and was more than capable competing against older players because of his background in wrestling.

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

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

The clan's time in South Yorkshire was short-lived, however, as only weeks after signing for the Blades, Manchester United became aware of Amir's ability and he transferred across the Pennines as a result.

"They played Manchester United in a tournament and Amir netted a brilliant 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 was one of the most youthful players in the club's history to train with the senior side when he achieved this in April 2023.

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

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

"I don't think they would play less effectively than the current first-team players. I believe the youngsters are hungrier than the present first-team players."

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

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

"He learned everything faster than the others. He's a solid defender. He's going to be like a new Rio Ferdinand for Man United."

'A Goal' to Fight at Old Trafford

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 prepare for a November UFC championship bout.

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

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

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

Fresh from working with two UFC titleholders from Dagestan, it is no surprise Ibragim states he is eager to claim a world title of his own someday.

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

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

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

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