Those Brothers from Dagestan Excelling in Mixed Martial Arts and with Man Utd.

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

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

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

The young man left his homeland in the North Caucasus of Russia as his father believed a move spanning more than 3,000 miles promised better professional opportunities for him and his brothers.

The initial idea was for Ibragim and his three brothers – Amir (17), Gazik (16), and Muhammad (15) – to finish school before joining one of the country's universities.

However, reality 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 prospects in the PFL, a leading MMA organization.

His brothers have taken a separate route in sport and have each been signed by Manchester United – with Amir pushing for a position in the senior squad.

"Our key thing for us is to extract everything from our chosen fields," explains Ibragim.

"I desire them to represent all of the best teams in the world. Now it is Man United, in the future it could be a different team."

Starting as Wrestlers to Football Prodigies

Situated in the south of Russia, Dagestan has a mystical reputation among combat sports enthusiasts for generating a slew of UFC titleholders in recent years.

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

This achievement is not a coincidence, though, as youth from the region are often pushed to begin fighting, specifically wrestling, practically as soon as they can stand.

"When I was young, my dad was constantly telling me and my younger brothers that we had to be powerful, first to protect yourself, your relatives, and your friends," states Ibragim.

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

"Amir was a very good wrestler. You can see the move from wrestling to football; obviously, it assisted my little brothers a lot."

"Many of the footballers he faces don't have the same foundation he possesses. That's why he's stocky, powerful and really competitive – because of wrestling."

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

He was not intimidated by the oversight and was perfectly capable 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," says Ibragim.

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

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

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

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

Half a dozen 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 history to train with the senior side when he did so in April 2023.

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

"Is he able to be a first-team player for Manchester United? Absolutely. They need to let all the young players play right now."

"In my opinion they would play worse than the existing first-team players. I think the youngsters are more motivated than the current first-team players."

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

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

"He learned every skill quicker than everyone else. He's a solid defender. He's going to be similar to a modern Rio Ferdinand for Man United."

'The Dream' to Fight at Old Trafford

Ibragim has now relocated to Manchester and spends most of his days honing 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 get ready for a November UFC title fight.

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

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

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

Fresh from working with two UFC titleholders from Dagestan, it is unsurprising Ibragim states he is desperate to win a world title of his own someday.

However that does not prevent him from sometimes dreaming of representing United and walking out on the historic turf at Old Trafford, much like his brothers.

"I had a PlayStation at home and I always used to play as Man United, scoring goals with Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez," 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 ambition for me. I was speaking to the PFL officials about it to see if they would make it happen. It would be huge."