Martial Art Styles: Pancrase

Pancrase fighting

Pancrase is a Mixed Martial Arts organization founded in 1993 in Japan by Professional Wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minori Suzuki.

Pancrase was a sub-style of Shoot Wrestling that was developed from Pankration, a Fighting Art and sport of the ancient Greek Olympic games. Pancrase was created to be a realistic form of Wrestling based on pure Shoot Style Wrestling with no predetermined outcomes.

Pancrase fighting

Pancrase was a cross between MMA and Professional Wrestling. Some Fighters dressed like WWE Wrestlers, wearing boots, shin  pads and masks.

When Pancrase first started the rules didn't allow Elbows to the head, closed Fist Strikes, Knees to the head, Kicks to the head when an opponent was on the ground and a lot of other rules that kept Pancrase from being a true Mixed Martial Art.

Pankration throw



But later the rules were changed to make the rules similar to Pride FC.




Some great Mixed Martial Artists have competed in Pancrase, such as:


  • Ken Shamrock
  • Frank Shamrock
  • Bas Rutten
  • Josh Barnett
  • Guy Mezger
  • Yuki Kondo
  • Semmy Schilt
  • Paul Daley
  • Carlos Condit
  • Joe Riggs
  • Chris Lytle
  • Evan Tanner


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