Those Siblings from Dagestan Making Their Mark in MMA and at Man Utd.

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

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

"My father and I always remark, 'this was the nation I ought to have been born in.'"

The 21-year-old left his homeland in the Caucasus region of Russia as his father was convinced a relocation covering more than 3,000 miles promised better career opportunities for him and his siblings.

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

But, life now looks somewhat 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 leading MMA organization.

His brothers have chosen a separate route in athletics and have each been signed by Manchester United – with Amir aiming for a position in the first team.

"The main goal for us is to squeeze everything out of our sports," says Ibragim.

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

Starting as Wrestlers to Soccer Prodigies

Situated in the south of Russia, Dagestan has a mystical status among fight fans for generating a number of UFC champions in the past few years.

The region has a rich history in wrestling, thriving in the combat sambo style and creating numerous Olympic and world champions.

This achievement is no accident, however, as youth from the region are frequently encouraged to take up combat sports, particularly wrestling, almost as soon as they can walk.

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

"So we all became accustomed to combat, and which is why everyone understands how to fight in Dagestan. It's unsurprising."

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

"Many of the footballers he faces don't have the same base he possesses. That's why he's stocky, strong and really driven – due to wrestling."

Amir was only nine years old when he was put through his paces at Sheffield United. Not knowing of his real age, trainers grouped him with boys five years older.

He was unfazed by the oversight and was perfectly comfortable holding his own against older players because of his background 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 time in South Yorkshire was short-lived, though, as just weeks after signing for the Blades, Manchester United learned of Amir's talent and he moved across the Pennines consequently.

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

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

Six years after signing for the Manchester United club and at the age of 15, Amir was one of the youngest players in the club's records to practice with the first team when he achieved this in April 2023.

"Know what he said to me? 'This is where I belong'," Ibragim reveals.

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

"In my opinion they would play worse than the existing starters. I think the young guys are hungrier than the present first-team players."

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

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

"He picked up everything faster than everyone else. He's a good defender. He's going to be like a modern Rio Ferdinand for Man United."

'A Goal' to Fight at the Theatre of Dreams

Ibragim has also moved to Manchester and spends most of his days honing his MMA skills at a local gym.

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

"I never have thought I would be learning 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."

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

Fresh from working with two UFC champions from Dagestan, it is no surprise Ibragim says he is desperate to claim a world title of his own one day.

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

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

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

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