To share with the world the great traditions as embodied in Native Warrior Spirits. To support and promote the noble concept of living honorably as Native American warriors do.
What started out as a friendly conversation between two sports-minded and deeply-thinking new friends turned into a shared vision of making the world a better place.
Matthew Onofrei and Joshua Dinnerman founded Native Fight to pursue worthy causes related to international fighter development. These successful businessmen have a great pedigree in business and passion for Martial Arts and warrior spirit.
Joshua (or JD, as he likes to be known) is an International Entrepreneur, involved in a number of ventures in development, sports and media and has a strong background working in Asia. Some of his projects have included working with some of the largest companies in Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, India, Russia and Latin America in real estate development, leisure and hospitality, technology, logistics, food production and trade, as well as sports such as MMA and golf.
Joshua has an undergraduate degree in East Asian History from UCSD and has studied Japanese at Cornell and also studied EU and Art History in Switzerland as well as Japanese in Japan and some extended graduate studies in Law and Media at Harvard. He enjoys martial arts and has a strong passion for boxing and Thai boxing. He also has a keen interest in various charities such as animal rights – in particular elephants – and various children’s causes internationally.
A successful medical practice owner and operator serving various healthcare-related organizations and individuals for over a decade, Matthew has over 10 years’ College studies together with several years coaching NCAA Collegiate Baseball. Mr. Onofrei comes from a family of professional athletes in the game of Baseball. He participated in Junior Olympics and Team USA Wrestling through High School and he elected to attend Virginia Military Institute on a scholarship as well as various other Universities to continue his education. Matthew has been the Principal Director and Co-Founder of two non-profit organizations: South Valley Cal Ripken (2010-2011) and AZ Hotshots Elite (2014-2017), serving 500+ youth athletes, and became a Top Ten 18-Years-and-Under National Softball Team in 2017 (USSSA Elite).
Native Fight is developed to help develop fighters that are more well-rounded and support the career development needs at the development level and at the professional level. With a global view on maximizing Thai training, competitive wrestling and traditional martial arts, Native Fight Team (NFT) will enable fighters to take on a truer and more efficient regimen.
The traditional and storied sport of Muay Thai is a major focus of our group. We have deep ties to numerous Muay Thai brands such as Fairtex and Top King, having partnered and distributed these brands internationally and done work in development. Our focus on Muay Thai will seek to embrace its history, as our founding partner, Joshua Dinnerman, has deep roots in Asia, especially in Thailand. During his stay there, he learned the art of Muay Thai. So under Joshua’s direction and the tutelage of Native Coaches and Native physical trainers, we are going to embrace the history of Thai Boxing back to its origin. We are well aware of what tactics the inventor of Muay Thai, Nai Khanom Tom, introduced to the Army and the public, and how. To deliver the best, we are well-equipped and well-staffed. Our Native coaches and trainers are there to prepare the fighters in our gyms, which are equipped with conventional and modern equipment.
The Art of 8 limbs is our main interest, and we cover the old school tactics and the modern trends in this sport.
Since Thai Boxing is the best for self-defense and attack at the same time, our fighters will not be typically those who want to take it on as a profession, but also those who want to learn for health and wellness.
From its invention, Muay Thai was used for training The Siamese Army people for unarmed combat, where soldiers were taught how to use eight weapons – hands, elbows, knees, legs – when they are unarmed. Due to its aggressive and come-forward technique, it is the most effective fighting style to inflict early damage on the opponent during combat. That's why a lot of people use it for self- defense, to lose weight, to maintain their fitness, to shape their body, to gain self-confidence, and to be prepared to handle any situation of bullying and street fighting. Native Fight considers it all and helps all its trainees to achieve their goals under its umbrella.
Wrestling is also a key focus for us and our DNA as our Co-founder Matthew Onofrei is a wrestler himself and an avid fan of this sport. He has a keen knowledge of traditional and modern wrestling along with particle experience. As per his directions, we are working to make a big stable of wrestlers, from amateurs to professionals.
We aim to work at the grass-root level and prepare fighters for inter-university championships, inter-regional championships, the national championship, Olympic, and the World Championship. To fulfill these objectives, Matthew and his co-founding partner, Joshua Dinnerman, have arranged the top coaches and modern gyms to serve our wrestlers with the best. Our facilities and expertise are second to none as we are not only well equipped, but also we have visionary leaders who themselves have a keen interest in combat sports and have participated in different contests. And they know all the ins and outs of the field.
Why do we have so much interest in wrestling? Let us explain. If you see the top seeds of Ultimate Fighting Championship, you will come to know that the wrestlers are dominating the other fighters. The undefeated and pound-for-pound kingpin in UFC, Khabib Nurmagomedov, came from a wrestling background and started at the age of 7. If you see the former pound-for-pound (P4P) King, Georges St-Pierre, he was also a wrestler and dominated the sports throughout his career. The current P4P number 2, Jon Jones, is the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, and he was also an amateur wrestler before turning pro. We aim to have stars-in- the-making from collegiate sports to Olympic Games and different world championships.
BJJ – Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is one of the most entertaining of the emerging combat sports. It is driven by Japanese JuJutsu – with a little difference. Due to its popularity and effectiveness towards fitness, self-defense, and professional sports, our founders added it to our sports list. As our name is Native Fight, so to back our narrative, we have the Native Coaches and Trainers for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and the same is the case for Thai Boxing.
We are eager to launch entertaining BJJ fighters like Anderson Silva, Demian Maia, Nate Diaz, and Cesar Gracie from our well-organized nurseries, which are enriched with the required equipment and facilities to accommodate both the modern and old-school tactics. This harmony between modern and old-school is what sets us apart from the others.
In short, Native Fight’s Joshua Dinnerman and Mathew Onofrei want to take Thai Boxing / Muay Thai, Wrestling, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to another level by nurturing fighters from the start of their career to the world championships, and the sky is NOT the limit!
Fighter Card NA is planning a lifestlye fighter credit card and look for a financial services group to help issue the card. Details?
Gym Fund NF will seek to develop a gym fund to help invest into gym opportunities.
Dojo Finance – Native Fight will seek to help finance with suitable partners and help in funding gyms. This ties in with gym development listed below.
Our group and strengths in business, developments, finance, media, sports and real estate can help independents grow via joint venture, license or franchise.
Native Fight are planning a lifestyle fighter credit card and are looking for a financial services group to help issue the card.
Native Fight will seek to develop a gym fund to help invest in gym opportunities.