Mick and Martin McNamara


Mick McNamara and Martin McNamara (born 1950) are Canadian martial artists, fight event promoters, coaches, actors, and filmmakers. The identical twin brothers are best known in combat sports and independent cinema by their collective stage name, the Twin Dragons. 

Early Life and Training


The McNamara family emigrated from Belfast, Northern Ireland, to Toronto, Ontario, in 1959. The brothers in 1965 began training in karate. They regularly competed in martial arts tournaments across Ontario and the United States, occasionally facing each other in championship rounds.

During their early career, they were mentored by instructor Paul Moran until his death in a car accident. The twins subsequently transitioned to training under Master Paul Chan at the Hung Luck Kung-Fu Club in Toronto, where they achieved their Red Sashes.

Martial Arts Academies and Fight Promotion

In 1972, the brothers opened their first "Twin Dragon Kung-Fu and Kickboxing" school. The brand eventually expanded to ten locations across Ontario.

By the 1980s, the McNamaras expanded into fight promotion, coordinating 28 kickboxing events and training six Canadian World Champions alongside multiple title belt holders. Through their production banner, Twin Dragon Film, they produced combat sports programming, including two specials for CFTO's Wide World of Sports, two live pay-per-view broadcasts, and 12 shows for TSN. Their events and fighters were featured on international networks including ESPN, HBO, Showtime, and Sky Vision.

In recognition of their contributions as kickboxing pioneers and coaches, Michael and Martin McNamara were officially inducted into the Canadian Black Belt Hall of Fame in 2011.

Film and Media Career

The twins entered the entertainment industry working as actors and stunt performers. They acquired small to lead roles in several films with television commercials, such as an "Evil Twin" advertisement for Parkinson Canada. These experiences led the brothers to write, direct, and produce their own independent martial arts films starring themselves.

The Twin Dragon film series consists of four distinct features:

  • Twin Dragon Encounter (1986): Their debut film was noted as one of the first Canadian-produced martial arts movies to secure worldwide home video distribution.
  • Dragon Hunt (1990): Their sophomore film marked Canada's first martial arts feature to receive a theatrical release prior to its global video distribution.
  • The Right to Fight: (2003) Their third film focused on their regulatory conflicts with the provincial government. Due to ongoing legal disputes, the brothers chose to shelve the 35mm master negative rather than distribute the completed project.
  • MICK (2026): A historical action docudrama that chronicles the brothers' martial arts schools, fight promotions, film history, and legal battles. Representing the final installment of the Twin Dragon series, the project took ten years of research and eight years of production. The film premiered in Toronto on July 16, 2026, as a standalone independent screening with no immediate distribution sale attempts.

Intellectual Property Litigation

April 8/1999, Michael and Martin McNamara launched a lawsuit against Miramax Film Corporation alleging trademark and copyright infringement. The dispute arose over Miramax's distribution of the action film Twin Dragons starring Jackie Chan. The legal matter was ultimately resolved when Miramax settled with the McNamara brothers out of court.

Government Disputes and Court Trials

The brothers encountered long-running regulatory conflicts with the Ontario Government and provincial athletic commissions regarding the licensing of combat sports. Following a 1983 provincial ban on kickboxing, Mick McNamara conducted an independent investigation into archived government documents. He alleged an ongoing ring combative sport conspiracy and identified what he described as institutional bias and conflicts of interest among competing martial artists appointed as athletic commissioners.

On July 30, 2007, Mick McNamara officially filed a $100 million civil lawsuit against the provincial government and two Athletic Commissioners. The litigation faced extensive delays and motions. Following a breakdown in relations with his legal counsel, who later ran for public office, McNamara terminated the client-lawyer relationship and proceeded as a self-represented litigant. The protracted legal battle resulted in severe financial strain for the brothers.

During this period, after a 30-year hiatus of amateur kickboxing events in Ontario due to provincial restrictions, the brothers attempted to resume promotion. This resulted in criminal charges being brought against them by the province under Her Majesty the Queen v. Michael McNamara and Martin McNamara. Following six pre-trials and two days in court, all criminal charges against the twins were dismissed on January 27, 2010. Citing ongoing financial strain and the threat of further prosecution, the brothers ultimately ceased promotional operations and closed their remaining kickboxing academies.

Twin Dragon (KB) Fight Events

  1. Feb. 3/1986 Toronto Coliseum
  2. Sept. 8/1986 Toronto Coliseum
  3. Feb, 16/1987 Harbor Castle
  4. May, 3/1987 Toronto Convention Centre
  5. Nov. 29/87 Toronto Convention Centre
  6. May 27/1988 Varsity Arena
  7. Sept. 25/1994 LAMPORT STADIUM
  8. MAR. 17/1995 HOLLYWOOD PRINCESS
  9. JULY 11/1995 HOLLYWOOD PRINCESS
  10. MAY 16/1996 PARADISE HALL
  11. Aug. 01/1996 PARADISE HALL
  12. OCT. 24/1996 PARADISE HALL
  13. MAR. 16/1997 PARADISE HALL
  14. JUNE 19/1997 PREMIERE HALL
  15. SEPT. 13/1997 THE DOCKS
  16. FEB. 22/1998 HOLLYWOOD PRINCESS
  17. MAY 14/1998 HOLLYWOOD PRINCESS
  18. JULY 13/1998 THE DOCKS
  19. AUG. 17/1998 THE DOCKS
  20. SEPT. 13/1998 THE DOCKS
  21. MAR. 7/1999 HOLLYWOOD PRINCESS
  22. DEC. 5/1999 HOLLYWOOD PRINCESS
  23. Sept.10/2000 The Docks
  24. May 6/2001 Memorial Gardens
  25. Aug. 16/2001 The Docks
  26. June 2/2002 Community Centre
  27. Sept. 22/2002 The Docks

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