Those Brothers from Dagestan Making Their Mark in Mixed Martial Arts and at Manchester United.

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

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

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

The young man departed his homeland in the Caucasus region of Russia as his father believed a relocation covering more than 3,000 miles promised superior career opportunities for him and his brothers.

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 universities.

However, life has turned out quite distinct for the Ibragimov family.

Ibragim is now a professional mixed martial arts athlete and is regarded as one of the prime prospects in the PFL, a major MMA organization.

His brothers have chosen a different route in sport and have all been contracted by Manchester United – with Amir vying for a place in the senior squad.

"The main goal for us is to squeeze everything out of our chosen fields," explains Ibragim.

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

Starting as Grapplers to Soccer Prodigies

Situated in the south of Russia, Dagestan holds a mythical reputation among combat sports fans for generating a number of UFC champions in the past few years.

The area has a rich history in wrestling, excelling in the combat sambo discipline and producing a host of Olympic and world champions.

This achievement is not a coincidence, however, as children from the region are often encouraged to begin fighting, specifically wrestling, almost as soon as they can walk.

"As a a kid, my dad was always instructing me and my younger brothers that we had to be strong, first to defend ourselves, your relatives, and your companions," says Ibragim.

"Therefore we all became accustomed to combat, and that's why people understands how to fight in Dagestan. It's not a surprise."

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

"Many of the players he faces lack the same base he has. That's why he's stocky, powerful and incredibly competitive – due to wrestling."

Amir was only nine years old when he was being tested at Sheffield United. Not knowing of his real age, trainers placed him with boys significantly older.

He was unfazed by the oversight and was perfectly comfortable competing against older players because of his background in wrestling.

"They believed Amir and I were the identical age, apparently," remarks Ibragim.

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

The clan's stay in South Yorkshire was short-lived, though, as just weeks after signing for the Blades, Manchester United became aware of Amir's talent and he transferred over the Pennines consequently.

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

"One of their talent spotters watched 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 most youthful players in the club's history to train with the first team when he did so in April 2023.

"Do you know what he told me? 'Here 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 less effectively than the existing first-team players. I believe the youngsters are hungrier than the present squad members."

Following that, Gazik and Muhammad, the latter 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 quicker than the others. He's a good defender. He's going to be similar to a modern Rio Ferdinand for Man United."

'The Goal' to Compete at the Theatre of Dreams

Ibragim has now 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 native region at Khabib Nurmagomedov's gym, assisting Islam Makhachev prepare for a November UFC title fight.

"I would never have thought I would be learning under Khabib," Ibragim admits.

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

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

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

However that does not prevent him from occasionally dreaming of playing for United and walking 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 says.

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

"A fight at Old Trafford? It's a ambition for me. I was discussing with the PFL officials about it to see if they could make it happen. It would be massive."