The Siblings from Dagestan Excelling in Mixed Martial Arts and with Manchester United.

Ibragim Ibragimov grins as he considers how his clan's life has transformed since moving to England from Dagestan in 2017.

"I am fond of it here," the Professional Fighters League athlete remarks.

"My father and I frequently say, 'this was the country I ought to have been born in.'"

The young man left his homeland in the Caucasus region of Russia as his father was convinced a relocation spanning more than 3,000 miles offered superior career prospects for him and his brothers.

The initial 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 now looks somewhat different for the Ibragimov household.

Ibragim is now a professional MMA athlete and is viewed as one of the prime talents in the PFL, a prominent MMA organization.

His siblings have chosen a separate route in sport and have each been signed by Manchester United – with Amir pushing for a place in the senior squad.

"Our key goal for us is to extract everything out of our sports," says Ibragim.

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

Starting as Grapplers to Football Prodigies

Situated in southern Russia, Dagestan has a mythical reputation among fight enthusiasts for producing a number of UFC titleholders in recent years.

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

This success is no accident, however, as children from the region are often pushed to take up fighting, particularly wrestling, practically as soon as they can walk.

"As a young, my dad was constantly instructing me and my younger brothers that we had to be powerful, firstly to defend ourselves, your family, and your companions," states Ibragim.

"So we all got used to fighting, and which is why everyone knows how to fight in Dagestan. It's unsurprising."

"Amir was a excellent wrestler. You can see the move from wrestling to football; obviously, it assisted my little brothers a great deal."

"Many of the footballers he faces don't have the identical foundation he has. That's why he's stocky, powerful and really competitive – because of 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 not intimidated by the oversight and was perfectly comfortable holding his own against older players because of his background in wrestling.

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

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

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

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

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

Six 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 records to practice with the senior side when he did so in April 2023.

"Do you know what he said to me? 'This is where I should be'," Ibragim says.

"Is he able to be a first-team player for Manchester United? Absolutely. They need to allow all the youthful players get game time now."

"I don't think they would play worse than the current first-team players. I believe the young guys are more motivated than the current first-team players."

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

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

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

'The Goal' to Compete at Old Trafford

Ibragim has also 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 prepare for a November UFC championship bout.

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

"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 desperate to win a world title of his own one day.

However that does not stop him from sometimes dreaming of representing 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 with legendary players," he recalls.

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

"A fight at Old Trafford? It's a dream for me. I was speaking to the PFL guys about it to see if they would do it. It would be massive."