What
is Pancrase?
The
origin of PANCRASE dates back to the ancient Greek Olympic
games. First introduced in 648 B.C. at
the 33rd Olympiad, a form of free-style fighting called Pancration /
Pancrase would
soon become the most popular and
demanding of all athletic events. Olympic Pancration integrated every
physical and mental resource; hands and feet, mind and spirit, in the
closest simulation of competitive fighting that any culture has ever
allowed. It was the ultimate Olympic sport for over a thousand years.
Today, martial artists from around the globe descend upon Japan to do
battle in Pancrase, the most exciting and demanding sport in modern-day
athletic competition.
PANCRASE
was founded in 1993, by Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki.
Their goal was to produce a new mixed-martial arts
competition utilizing the world's best professional fighters. Many
martial arts techniques are employed in PANCRASE matches including;
wrestling, judo, boxing, sambo, karate, kenpo, jiu-jitsu, and Thai
boxing. The most important aspect of PANCRASE fighting is the need
for combatants to adapt their techniques to this unique
competition. PANCRASE fighters must cross-train in many
disciplines to be successful. The alternative is almost certain
defeat.
In
the PANCRASE logo, red indicates blood and black represents the various
styles of martial arts. The PANCRASE cross represents the best
techniques from all martial arts.
PANCRASE
fighters come from around the world including: Japan, U.S.A., Canada,
Holland, Sweden, Austria, U.K., France, Australia, Brazil, Russia,
Armenia, Georgia, Lithuania, Korea, and India. The number of countries
has been increasing every year. We have been contacted by fighters in
other countries including China, Philippines, Mexico, Chili, and Germany
who will soon join the ranks as prestigious PANCRASE fighters.
The
territory of PANCRASE events continues to expand. PANCRASE events have
been aired by pay-per-view in the U.S. since 1996. PANCRASE is
also in negotiation with Latin America and other Asian countries to
introduce the PANCRASE events in their territories.
In
addition to producing professional PANCRASE competitions, the PANCRASE
Organization currently has four official gyms in Japan, one in the
United States and several
other affiliated training centers world-wide.
