The Siblings from the Dagestani Region Excelling in MMA and at Manchester United.

Ibragim Ibragimov breaks into a smile as he considers how his family's life has evolved since relocating to England from Dagestan in 2017.

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

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

The young man left his home in the North Caucasus of Russia as his father was convinced a relocation covering more than 3,000 miles offered 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 school before enrolling in one of the nation's colleges.

However, reality has turned out quite different for the Ibragimov household.

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

His brothers have chosen a separate route in sport and have all been contracted by Manchester United – with Amir pushing for a place in the first team.

"The primary goal for us is to extract the maximum out of our chosen fields," says Ibragim.

"I hope them to play for every one of the top teams in the world. Now it is Man United, tomorrow it could be a different team."

From Grapplers to Football Prodigies

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

The area has a rich tradition in wrestling, thriving in the combat sambo discipline and producing numerous Olympic and world champions.

This achievement is not a coincidence, though, as youth from the region are frequently pushed to take up combat sports, particularly wrestling, practically as soon as they can stand.

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

"Therefore we all became accustomed to combat, and which is 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; clearly, it helped my younger brothers a lot."

"Some of the players he faces don't have the identical foundation he has. That's why he's stocky, powerful and incredibly competitive – because of wrestling."

Amir was only nine years old when he was put through his paces at Sheffield United. Unaware of his real age, trainers grouped him with boys five years older.

He was unfazed by the mistake and was perfectly comfortable holding his own against older players thanks to his experience in wrestling.

"They believed Amir and I were the same age, so the story goes," remarks Ibragim.

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

The clan's time in South Yorkshire was short-lived, though, as just weeks after joining the Blades, Manchester United learned of Amir's talent and he transferred over the Pennines as a result.

"They faced Manchester United in a competition and Amir scored a spectacular free-kick," says Ibragim.

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

Half a dozen years after signing for the Old Trafford club and at the age of 15, Amir became one of the youngest players in the club's records to train with the first team when he did so in April 2023.

"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? Without a doubt. They need to let all the youthful players play now."

"I don't think they would play worse than the existing starters. I believe the youngsters are hungrier than the present first-team players."

Since then, Gazik and Muhammad, the younger once on the books of Manchester City, have also made the move to Manchester United.

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

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

'A Goal' to Compete at the Theatre of Dreams

Ibragim has now relocated to Manchester and dedicates most of his days honing his MMA skills at Manchester Top Team.

In August, he passed three weeks in his homeland at Khabib Nurmagomedov's gym, assisting Islam Makhachev prepare for a late-year UFC championship bout.

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

"He was the greatest fighter in the world – and we always used to idolize him when we were young."

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

Recently training with two UFC titleholders from Dagestan, it is unsurprising Ibragim says he is eager to claim a world title of his own one day.

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

"I owned a PlayStation at home and I always used to play as Man United, scoring goals with legendary players," 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 dream for me. I was speaking to the PFL guys about it to see if they would make it happen. It would be huge."