The Siblings from the Dagestani Region Excelling in Mixed Martial Arts and at Manchester United.

Ibragim Ibragimov smiles as he reflects on how his clan's life has transformed since relocating to England from Dagestan a decade ago.

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

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

The young man left his homeland in the North Caucasus of Russia because his father believed a relocation spanning more than 3,000 miles promised better professional prospects for him and his siblings.

The original 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 colleges.

However, reality now looks quite different for the Ibragimov family.

Ibragim is now a pro MMA athlete and is seen as one of the prime talents in the PFL, a leading MMA organization.

His siblings have taken a separate path in sport and have each been signed by Manchester United – with Amir vying for a spot in the senior squad.

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

"I want them to play for every one of the best teams in the world. Today it is Man United, in the future it could be a different team."

From Grapplers to Football Talents

Situated in southern Russia, Dagestan has a mythical status among combat sports fans for producing a slew of UFC titleholders in the past few years.

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

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

"When I was young, my dad was constantly telling me and my little brothers that we had to be strong, firstly to protect ourselves, your family, and your friends," states Ibragim.

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

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

"Many of the players he comes up against don't have the same base he has. That's why he's solid, strong and incredibly driven – because of wrestling."

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

He was unfazed by the mistake 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 signed, along with Ibragim's little brothers Gazik and Muhammad.

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

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

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

Six years after signing for the Old Trafford club and at the age of 15, Amir was one of the most youthful players in the club's history to train with the senior side when he did so in April 2023.

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

"Can he be a first-team player for Manchester United? Without a doubt. They should let all the young players play right now."

"In my opinion they would play worse than the existing starters. I think the youngsters are hungrier than the current squad members."

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

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

"He learned everything quicker than everyone else. He's a good defender. He's going to be like a modern Rio Ferdinand for Man United."

'A Dream' to Fight at the Theatre of Dreams

Ibragim has now relocated to Manchester and spends most of his days honing his MMA skills at a local gym.

In August, he spent three weeks in his native region at Khabib Nurmagomedov's gym, assisting Islam Makhachev prepare for a late-year UFC title fight.

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

"He was the best fighter in the world – and we constantly used to look up to 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 no surprise Ibragim says he is desperate to win a world title of his own one day.

But that does not prevent him from sometimes fantasizing of representing 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 says.

"Now, for my brothers to be Man United players, it's like 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 huge."