The Brothers from Dagestan Excelling in MMA and with Manchester United.

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

"I am fond of it here," the Professional Fighters League athlete declares.

"We often 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 as his father believed a move spanning more than 3,000 miles offered superior career prospects for him and his brothers.

The initial idea was for Ibragim and his three brothers – Amir (17), Gazik (16), and Muhammad (15) – to complete school before enrolling in one of the nation's colleges.

But, life now looks somewhat different for the Ibragimov household.

Ibragim is now a pro MMA athlete and is regarded as one of the top prospects in the PFL, a leading MMA league.

His brothers have taken a different route in sport and have each been signed by Manchester United – with Amir vying for a place in the first team.

"The main goal for us is to extract the maximum out of our sports," explains Ibragim.

"I desire them to represent all of the best teams in the world. Today it is Man United, in the future it could be a different team."

Starting as Grapplers to Football Prodigies

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

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

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

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

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

"Amir was a highly skilled wrestler. You can see the transition from wrestling to football; clearly, it helped my younger brothers a great deal."

"Many of the footballers he comes up against lack the same foundation he has. That's why he's stocky, strong and really driven – due to wrestling."

Amir was just nine years old when he was being tested 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 more than capable holding his own against older players thanks to his experience in wrestling.

"They thought Amir and I were the identical age, apparently," says 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 only weeks after signing for the Blades, Manchester United learned of Amir's ability and he moved across the Pennines consequently.

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

"One of their scouts saw him play and selected him immediately."

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? 'Here is where I should be'," Ibragim reveals.

"Can he be a first-team player for Manchester United? Without a doubt. They need to allow all the young players get game time right now."

"In my opinion they would play worse than the existing first-team players. I believe the young guys are more motivated than the present squad members."

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 learned every skill faster than everyone else. He's a solid defender. He's going to be like a new Rio Ferdinand for Man United."

'The Dream' to Compete at the Theatre of Dreams

Ibragim has also relocated to Manchester and spends most of his days perfecting his MMA skills at Manchester Top Team.

In August, he spent three weeks in his homeland at Khabib Nurmagomedov's gym, helping Islam Makhachev get ready for a late-year UFC title fight.

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

"He was the greatest fighter in the world – and we always 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 champions from Dagestan, it is unsurprising Ibragim states he is desperate to win a world title of his own one day.

But that does not stop him from sometimes fantasizing of playing for United and walking out on the historic turf at Old Trafford, similar to his brothers.

"I owned a PlayStation at home and I constantly 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 dream come true."

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