The brothers from Dagestan shining in MMA and for Man Utd

As he considers how his family’s life has changed since moving to England from Dagestan eight years ago, Ibragim Ibragimov makes a moment of reflection.

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) star tells BBC Sport, “I love it here.”

“This is the country I should have been born in,” my dad and I constantly say.

The 21-year-old left his Russian hometown in the North Caucasus in 2017 because his father hoped that moving more than 3, 000 miles across Europe would provide better career opportunities for him and his siblings.

Ibragim and his three brothers, Amir (17), Gazik (16), and Muhammad (15), were supposed to graduate from college before enrolling in one of the nation’s universities.

However, the Ibragimov family’s current situation is slightly different.

Ibragim, a professional mixed martial artist, is regarded as one of the best prospects in the PFL, one of the top MMA competitions.

Amir and his brothers have all pushed for a place in Manchester United’s first team, with each one of them having chosen a different sport.

Ibragim says that our main goal is to squeeze everything out of our sports.

Dagestan, which is a southern Russian province, is regarded as mythical among fans of fighting because it has recently produced a number of UFC champions.

The area has a rich history in wrestling, most notably in the sambo style, and has produced numerous Olympic and world champion wrestlers.

Nearly as soon as they can stand, children from the area are frequently encouraged to engage in wrestling.

My father would always tell me and my younger brothers that we needed to be strong in order to protect yourself, your family, and your friends, according to Ibragim.

“We all accustomed to fighting, and that’s why everyone in Dagestan is a fighter.” It doesn’t come as a surprise.

Amir was a very skilled wrestler. You can tell that my little brothers were greatly helped by the transition from wrestling to football.

“Some of the footballers he plays against don’t have the same base as he does.” Because of wrestling, he is stocky, strong, and very competitive.

Amir was put through his paces at Sheffield United when he was just nine years old. Coaches placed him with boys five years older because he was unaware of his age, but he held his own despite having wrestled experience.

Ibragim claims that “they assumed Amir and I were the same age.”

Amir and his younger brothers, Gazik and Muhammad, were also signed up.

However, Amir’s stay in South Yorkshire was brief because Manchester United learned of his talent just weeks after he signed for the Blades and he moved across the Pennines.

Amir scored a fantastic free-kick in a tournament match against Manchester United, according to Ibragim.

“One of their scouts immediately picked him up after seeing him play.”

Amir joined the Old Trafford club at the age of 15 and joined the club as one of the youngest players ever to join the first team in April 2023.

Do you have any knowledge of what he said to me? Ibragim claims that this is where I belong.

Can he join Manchester United’s first-team roster? 100%. Right now, they must allow all of the young players to play.

I don’t believe they would perform worse than the first-team players. The younger players seem to be more hungry than the current first-team players.

Gazik and Muhammad, who were previously listed at Manchester City, have since made their moves to Manchester United.

Ibragim says, “Gazik, this kid is talented.”

Ibragim moved to Manchester and spends the majority of his days working on his MMA technique at the Manchester Top Team.

He assisted Islam Makhachev in getting ready for the UFC title fight against Jack Della Maddalena in a three-week trip to his native country at Khabib Nurmagomedov’s gym in August.

Ibragim says, “I never would have imagined that I would be receiving training from Khabib.”

We always admired him as the greatest fighter in the world when we were younger.

“I’m training with Islam Makhachev in his gym right now,” I said.

Ibragim, who recently returned from training with two UFC champions from Dagestan, says he is desperate to one day claim a world title.

He does not, however, stop himself from occasionally having dreams about playing for United and leaving Old Trafford, much like his brothers.

He claims that he once played as the Man Utd on PES, scoring with Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, and Carlos Tevez.

It’s like a dream come true for my brothers to play for Man Utd now.