Nathaniel Salva-Cruz owner and founder of Wolf Gang Fitness is a seasoned mixed martial artist and breathwork facilitator with 20 years of experience in personal training, group fitness, and combative martial arts. Born and raised in the vibrant streets of Brooklyn, New York, Nathaniel now calls the sunny-soaked city of San Diego home.
His journey into the realm of fitness and martial arts began early in his life. Growing up, never being the strongest, fastest or smartest, never made him quit or think anything less of himself. Instead, those around him found Nathaniel to be the most driven and the most resilient of beings; and through that resiliency he found peace and gratitude.
Fueled by the multifaceted world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and while studying philosophy and agriculture in college, his approach to training revolves around intentionality, drawing inspiration from the stoics as well as Bruce Lee’s ideology, “Use what is necessary and discard what is useless”.
While in New York and the early parts California, Nathaniel trained under well-renowned and one of the originals to bring Jeet Kune Do to NYC, Sifu Dan Anderson. At Anderson’s Martial Arts Academy, he received his blue belt under Vitor Shaolin Riberio and later his brown belt under Dan Anderson.
Training at Anderson’s Martial Arts, Nathaniel had the privilege to train under legends like Vitor Ribeiro, Clark Gracie, Steve Maxwell, as well as a few MMA hall famers like Alistair Overeem and Sean Sherk.
With a MMA record 5-2 and former State 145lbs Champion, Nathaniel enjoys sharing his lived experience, passion and knowledge of fighting. From fighting in the streets of Flatbush to prize fighting in a cage, Nathaniel has been able to embody what it means to be a Martial Artist today.
Nathaniel firmly believes that everything begins with a solid foundation. Whether in physical movement or verbal expression, he emphasizes the importance of rooting back to our foundational principles. In his view, a strong foundation not only shapes our actions and intentions but also influences how we communicate with the world.
With expertise spanning in personal and group fitness plus the intricacies of MMA, Nathaniel offers a comprehensive and holistic approach to health and wellness. His commitment to MMA extends outside the cage, and that is to help individuals become better people by becoming better martial artist.