Kickboxing vs Pankration
Kickboxing and Pankration side by side, from the facts recorded for each art.
| Kickboxing | Pankration | |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | Japan | Ancient Greece |
| Type | combat sport and boxing | martial arts |
| Notable practitioners here | 408 | 2 |
| Top countries of practitioners | Japan, Kingdom of the Netherlands and France | Thasos and Russia |
| Equipment and weapons | fist and foot | — |
| Energy use (MET) | 7.3 MET (Kickboxing) | — |
Kickboxing
Kickboxing is an umbrella term for different styles of full-contact hybrid boxing type, combat sports, and martial arts based on punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in various times in history. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouth guards, shorts, and bare feet to favor the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general fitness, and competition. Some styles of kickboxing include: full contact karate, Muay Thai, Japanese kickboxing, Lethwei, Sanda, and Savate.
From the Wikipedia article Kickboxing (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): Q178678, 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.