Those Brothers from the Dagestani Region Excelling in Mixed Martial Arts and with Manchester United.

Ibragim Ibragimov grins as he considers how his family's life has changed since relocating to England from Dagestan eight years ago.

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

"My father and I often comment, 'this was the country I should have been born in.'"

The 21-year-old left his homeland in the North Caucasus of Russia because his father believed a relocation spanning more than 3,000 miles offered better professional opportunities for him and his siblings.

The initial plan 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, reality now looks somewhat different for the Ibragimov household.

Ibragim is now a professional mixed martial arts athlete and is viewed as one of the top talents in the PFL, a major MMA league.

His siblings have chosen a separate route in sport and have all been contracted by Manchester United – with Amir aiming for a spot in the first team.

"Our key goal for us is to extract the maximum from our chosen fields," says Ibragim.

"I want them to play for all of the best teams in the world. Now it is Man United, tomorrow it could be a another team."

Starting as Wrestlers to Football Talents

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

The area has a long tradition in wrestling, excelling in the combat sambo style and creating a host of Olympic and world champions.

This success is not a coincidence, though, as youth from the region are often encouraged to begin fighting, specifically 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.

"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 observe the move from wrestling to football; obviously, it assisted my little brothers a great deal."

"Some of the players he comes up against don't have the same foundation he possesses. That's why he's solid, strong and really driven – due to wrestling."

Amir was just nine years old when he was put through his paces at Sheffield United. Not knowing of his actual age, trainers placed him with boys significantly older.

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

"They thought Amir and I were the same age, apparently," remarks Ibragim.

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

The family's stay in South Yorkshire was short-lived, though, as only weeks after joining the Blades, Manchester United learned of Amir's talent and he transferred across the Pennines as a result.

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

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

Six years after joining the Manchester United 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.

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

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

"I don't think they would play less effectively than the existing first-team players. I think the youngsters are more motivated than the current squad members."

Since then, Gazik and Muhammad, the younger once part of the academy of Manchester City, have likewise transferred to Manchester United.

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

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

'The Dream' to Compete at Old Trafford

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

In August, he passed 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 training under Khabib," Ibragim says.

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

"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 desperate to win a world title of his own someday.

However that does not prevent him from sometimes fantasizing of representing United and stepping out on the hallowed turf at Old Trafford, much like 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 says.

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

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