Ibragim Ibragimov breaks into a smile as he considers how his family's life has changed since relocating to England from Dagestan eight years ago.
"I adore it here," the PFL athlete remarks.
"My father and I often comment, 'this was the nation I ought to have been born in.'"
The young man departed his homeland in the North Caucasus of Russia because his father believed a relocation spanning more than 3,000 miles promised better career prospects for him and his brothers.
The original idea was for Ibragim and his three brothers – Amir (17), Gazik (16), and Muhammad (15) – to complete school before joining one of the country's colleges.
But, life has turned out somewhat different for the Ibragimov family.
Ibragim is now a professional mixed martial arts fighter and is viewed as one of the leading prospects in the PFL, a leading MMA organization.
His brothers have taken a separate path in sport and have all been contracted by Manchester United – with Amir aiming for a position in the first team.
"The main goal for us is to extract the maximum from our sports," explains Ibragim.
"I want them to represent all of the finest teams in the world. Today it is Man United, in the future it could be a another team."
Located in southern Russia, Dagestan has a mythical reputation among combat sports fans for producing a host of UFC titleholders in recent years.
The area has a long history in wrestling, thriving in the combat sambo discipline and producing a host of Olympic and world winners.
This success is no accident, however, as youth from the region are frequently pushed to begin fighting, particularly wrestling, almost as soon as they can stand.
"As a a kid, my dad was always instructing me and my younger brothers that we needed to be strong, firstly to protect yourself, your family, and your friends," says Ibragim.
"Therefore we all became accustomed to combat, and which is why people knows how to fight in Dagestan. It's unsurprising."
"Amir was a very good wrestler. You can see the transition from wrestling to football; obviously, it benefited my little brothers a great deal."
"Many of the footballers he comes up against don't have the same foundation he has. That's why he's solid, powerful and really competitive – due to wrestling."
Amir was only nine years old when he was being tested at Sheffield United. Unaware of his real age, coaches placed him with boys significantly older.
He was unfazed by the mistake and was more than capable holding his own against older players thanks to his experience in wrestling.
"They thought Amir and I were the identical age, apparently," says Ibragim.
Amir was signed, together with Ibragim's little brothers Gazik and Muhammad.
The family's time in South Yorkshire was brief, however, as just weeks after signing for 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 competition and Amir scored a spectacular free-kick," recalls Ibragim.
"One of their talent spotters saw him play and selected him immediately."
Half a dozen years after signing for 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 did so in April 2023.
"Do you know what he said to me? 'This is where I belong'," Ibragim says.
"Is he able to be a first-team player for Manchester United? 100%. They should let all the young players play right now."
"I don't think they would play less effectively than the existing first-team players. I believe the young guys are hungrier than the present first-team players."
Following that, Gazik and Muhammad, the latter once on the books of Manchester City, have also transferred to Manchester United.
"Gazik, this kid is gifted," continues Ibragim.
"He learned every skill quicker than the others. He's a good defender. He's going to be like a modern Rio Ferdinand for Man United."
Ibragim has also moved to Manchester and spends most of his days perfecting his MMA skills at a local gym.
In August, he spent three weeks in his homeland at Khabib Nurmagomedov's gym, helping Islam Makhachev prepare for a late-year UFC championship bout.
"I would never have imagined I would be training under Khabib," Ibragim says.
"He was the greatest fighter in the world – and we always used to idolize him when we were young."
"Now, I'm here in his gym and training with Islam Makhachev."
Fresh from working with two UFC titleholders from Dagestan, it is unsurprising Ibragim states he is desperate to claim a world title of his own one day.
But that does not prevent him from sometimes dreaming of playing for United and walking out on the hallowed turf at Old Trafford, similar to his brothers.
"I had 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 goal for me. I was discussing with the PFL officials about it to see if they could make it happen. It would be huge."
