Those Siblings from Dagestan Excelling in MMA and at Man Utd.

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

"I love it here," the Professional Fighters League athlete remarks.

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

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

The original idea was for Ibragim and his three brothers – Amir (17), Gazik (16), and Muhammad (15) – to finish school before enrolling in one of the nation's colleges.

But, reality has turned out quite distinct for the Ibragimov household.

Ibragim is now a professional MMA athlete and is seen as one of the leading prospects in the PFL, a major MMA organization.

His siblings have chosen a separate route in athletics and have each been contracted by Manchester United – with Amir pushing for a position in the first team.

"The primary thing for us is to extract everything out of our sports," explains Ibragim.

"I hope them to represent all of the best teams in the world. Today it is Man United, in the future it might be a different team."

From Grapplers to Soccer Prodigies

Located in the south of Russia, Dagestan holds a mythical reputation among fight fans for producing a host of UFC champions in recent years.

The region has a long history in grappling, excelling in the combat sambo style and creating numerous Olympic and world champions.

This achievement is no accident, however, as youth from the region are frequently encouraged to take up combat sports, particularly wrestling, almost as soon as they can stand.

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

"Therefore we all got used to combat, and which is why everyone understands how to fight in Dagestan. It's not a surprise."

"Amir was a highly skilled wrestler. You can observe the transition from wrestling to football; clearly, it helped my little brothers a lot."

"Some of the players he comes up against don't have the identical base he has. That's why he's stocky, powerful and really driven – due to wrestling."

Amir was just nine years old when he was being tested at Sheffield United. Not knowing of his actual age, coaches placed him with boys five years older.

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

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

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

The family's time in South Yorkshire was brief, however, as just weeks after joining the Blades, Manchester United became aware of Amir's ability and he moved across the Pennines as a result.

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

"One of their talent spotters watched him play and selected him straight away."

Half a dozen years after joining the Old Trafford club and at the age of 15, Amir became one of the most youthful players in the club's history to train with the senior side when he achieved this in April 2023.

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

"Can he be a first-team player for Manchester United? Absolutely. They should let all the young players get game time now."

"I don't think they would play less effectively than the existing starters. I think the youngsters are hungrier than the present squad members."

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

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

"He picked up everything quicker than the others. He's a good defender. He's going to be like a modern Rio Ferdinand for Man United."

'A Dream' to Fight at Old Trafford

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

In August, he passed three weeks in his homeland at Khabib Nurmagomedov's gym, helping Islam Makhachev get ready for a November UFC title fight.

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

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

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

Fresh from working with two UFC champions from Dagestan, it is unsurprising Ibragim states he is desperate to claim a world title of his own one day.

However that does not prevent him from sometimes dreaming of playing for United and stepping 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 with legendary players," he recalls.

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

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