Those Brothers from the Dagestani Region Making Their Mark in MMA and with Man Utd.

Ibragim Ibragimov smiles as he reflects on how his family's life has transformed since moving to England from Dagestan eight years ago.

"I love it here," the Professional Fighters League competitor states.

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

The 21-year-old departed his homeland in the North Caucasus of Russia as his father believed a relocation spanning more than 3,000 miles promised superior professional prospects for him and his brothers.

The original plan was for Ibragim and his three brothers – Amir (17), Gazik (16), and Muhammad (15) – to complete their education before joining one of the country's universities.

But, reality has turned out slightly different for the Ibragimov household.

Ibragim is now a professional MMA fighter and is regarded as one of the prime prospects in the PFL, a prominent MMA league.

His siblings have taken a separate path in athletics and have all been contracted by Manchester United – with Amir vying for a spot in the first team.

"Our key thing for us is to squeeze everything from our sports," explains Ibragim.

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

Starting as Wrestlers to Football Talents

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

The region has a rich tradition in grappling, thriving in the sambo style and producing numerous Olympic and world champions.

This achievement is not a coincidence, however, as children from the region are often pushed to begin combat sports, 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 powerful, first to defend yourself, your family, and your companions," says Ibragim.

"Therefore we all got used to fighting, and which is why people understands how to fight in Dagestan. It's unsurprising."

"Amir was a very good wrestler. You can see the move from wrestling to football; clearly, it assisted my younger brothers a great deal."

"Many of the players he faces lack the identical base he possesses. That's why he's solid, powerful and incredibly competitive – because of wrestling."

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

He was not intimidated by the mistake and was more than comfortable holding his own against older players because of his experience in wrestling.

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

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

The family's stay in South Yorkshire was brief, though, as only weeks after joining the Blades, Manchester United became aware of Amir's talent and he transferred across the Pennines consequently.

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

"One of their talent spotters saw him play and picked him straight away."

Half a dozen years after joining the Old Trafford club and at the age of 15, Amir was one of the youngest players in the club's history to train with the first team when he achieved this in April 2023.

"Know what he told me? 'This is where I should be'," Ibragim says.

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

"I don't think they would play less effectively than the current first-team players. I believe the young guys are hungrier than the current first-team players."

Following that, Gazik and Muhammad, the latter once part of the academy of Manchester City, have also transferred to Manchester United.

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

"He picked up everything quicker than everyone else. He's a good defender. He's going to be similar to a new Rio Ferdinand for Man United."

'A Dream' to Fight at Old Trafford

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

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

"I never have imagined I would be training under Khabib," Ibragim admits.

"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."

Recently training with two UFC champions 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 dreaming of playing for United and walking out on the historic 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 Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez," he recalls.

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

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