The Siblings from the Dagestani Region Making Their Mark in MMA and with Manchester United.

Ibragim Ibragimov smiles as he considers how his family's life has evolved since relocating to England from Dagestan a decade ago.

"I love it here," the PFL athlete states.

"We always remark, 'this is the nation I ought to have been born in.'"

The 21-year-old departed his homeland in the Caucasus region of Russia because his father believed a move covering 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 joining one of the nation's colleges.

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

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

His brothers have chosen a separate path in sport and have all been signed by Manchester United – with Amir vying for a place in the first team.

"The primary goal for us is to squeeze everything from our chosen fields," says Ibragim.

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

From Grapplers to Soccer Prodigies

Situated in southern Russia, Dagestan holds a mythical reputation among fight fans for producing a host of UFC titleholders in recent years.

The region has a long tradition in wrestling, thriving in the combat sambo style and producing numerous Olympic and world champions.

This achievement is no accident, though, as children from the region are often pushed to begin combat sports, particularly wrestling, almost as soon as they can walk.

"As a young, my dad was constantly telling me and my younger brothers that we needed to be powerful, firstly to defend yourself, your relatives, and your friends," states Ibragim.

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

"Amir was a excellent wrestler. You can observe the transition from wrestling to football; clearly, it assisted my younger brothers a lot."

"Many of the footballers he comes up against lack the same foundation he has. That's why he's solid, powerful and really competitive – due to 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 significantly older.

He was unfazed by the mistake and was more than capable competing against older players thanks to his experience in wrestling.

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

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

The family's time in South Yorkshire was brief, however, as just weeks after signing for the Blades, Manchester United became aware of Amir's ability and he moved over the Pennines as a result.

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

"One of their scouts watched him play and picked him immediately."

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 history to train with the first team when he achieved this in April 2023.

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

"Is he able to be a first-team player for Manchester United? 100%. They need to let all the youthful players get game time right now."

"In my opinion they would play worse than the existing first-team players. I think 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 also made the move to Manchester United.

"Gazik, this kid 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."

'A Goal' to Fight at Old Trafford

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

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

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

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

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

Recently working with two UFC champions from Dagestan, it is unsurprising Ibragim states he is eager to win a world title of his own one day.

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 always used to play as Man United, scoring goals with Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez," he says.

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

"An event at Old Trafford? It's a dream for me. I was speaking to the PFL officials about it to see if they would do it. It would be enormous."