Brazilian jiu-jitsu vs Pankration
Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Pankration side by side, from the facts recorded for each art.
| Brazilian jiu-jitsu | Pankration | |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | Brazil | Ancient Greece |
| Created | 1910s | — |
| Type | judo, jujutsu and jiu jitsu | martial arts |
| Notable practitioners here | 43 | 2 |
| Top countries of practitioners | United States, Brazil and Australia | Thasos and Russia |
| Belt ranks | Yes | — |
Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Brazilian jiu-jitsu (Portuguese: jiu-jitsu brasileiro [ʒiw ˈʒitsu bɾaziˈlejɾu, ʒu -]), commonly abbreviated as BJJ, is a self-defense system, martial art, and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting, and submission holds. It is primarily a ground-based fighting style and involves taking one's opponent down to the ground, gaining a dominant position, and then using a number of techniques to force them into submission such as joint locks, chokeholds, or compression locks.
From the Wikipedia article Brazilian jiu-jitsu (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Pankration
Pankration (; Ancient Greek: παγκράτιον [paŋkráti.on]) was an unarmed combat sport introduced into the Greek Olympic Games in 648 BC. The athletes used boxing and wrestling techniques but also others, such as kicking, holds, joint locks, and chokes on the ground, making it similar to modern mixed martial arts. The term comes from the Ancient Greek word παγκράτιον (pankrátion), meaning "all of power" (from παν- (pan-) 'all-' and κράτος (krátos) 'strength, might, power').
From the Wikipedia article Pankration (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Facts from Wikidata (CC0): Q189336, Q201252. Practitioner counts are the people with a profile on this site. Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.