Those Siblings from the Dagestani Region Excelling in Mixed Martial Arts and with Manchester United.

Ibragim Ibragimov smiles as he reflects on how his family's life has changed since relocating to England from Dagestan in 2017.

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

"We always comment, 'this was the country I should have been born in.'"

The 21-year-old left his homeland in the Caucasus region of Russia because his father believed a relocation spanning more than 3,000 miles promised better 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 their education before joining one of the country's colleges.

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

Ibragim is now a professional MMA fighter and is seen as one of the leading talents in the PFL, a leading MMA organization.

His brothers have chosen a different route in sport and have all been contracted by Manchester United – with Amir vying for a position in the first team.

"Our key thing for us is to extract the maximum out of our sports," explains Ibragim.

"I desire them to represent all of the finest teams in the world. Now it is Man United, tomorrow it could be a another team."

Starting as Wrestlers to Football Prodigies

Located in the south of Russia, Dagestan has a mystical reputation among fight fans for producing a host of UFC champions in the past few years.

The area has a long tradition in wrestling, thriving in the combat sambo style and creating a host of Olympic and world champions.

This success is not a coincidence, however, as children from the region are frequently encouraged to take up fighting, particularly wrestling, almost as soon as they can walk.

"When I was a kid, my dad was always telling me and my younger brothers that we needed to be strong, first to defend yourself, your relatives, and your companions," says Ibragim.

"So we all became accustomed to combat, and that's why everyone knows how to fight in Dagestan. It's unsurprising."

"Amir was a highly skilled wrestler. You can see the transition from wrestling to football; obviously, it benefited my younger brothers a lot."

"Many of the footballers he faces lack the identical foundation he has. That's why he's stocky, powerful and really competitive – because of wrestling."

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

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

"They believed Amir and I were the identical age, so the story goes," says Ibragim.

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

The family's time in South Yorkshire was brief, however, as just weeks after signing for the Blades, Manchester United learned of Amir's ability 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 saw him play and picked him straight away."

Half a dozen years after signing for the Old Trafford club and at the age of 15, Amir was one of the youngest players in the club's history to practice with the senior side when he achieved this 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? 100%. They need to allow all the youthful players get game time now."

"In my opinion they would play less effectively than the existing first-team players. I think the young guys are hungrier than the present first-team players."

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

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

"He learned everything faster 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 the Theatre of Dreams

Ibragim has now moved to Manchester and dedicates most of his days perfecting 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 November UFC championship bout.

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

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

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

Fresh from working with two UFC champions from Dagestan, it is no surprise 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 stepping out on the hallowed turf at Old Trafford, similar to his brothers.

"I owned 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 similar to a dream come true."

"A fight at Old Trafford? It's a dream for me. I was discussing with the PFL guys about it to see if they could make it happen. It would be enormous."