The Most Famous
MARTIAL ARTS from France
This page contains a list of the greatest French Martial Arts. The pantheon dataset contains 179 Martial Arts, 4 of which were born in France. This makes France the birth place of the 6th most number of Martial Arts behind China, and Poland.
Top 5
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary French Martial Arts of all time. This list of famous French Martial Arts is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Jérôme Le Banner (b. 1972)
With an HPI of 49.40, Jérôme Le Banner is the most famous French Martial Arts. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages on wikipedia.
Jérôme Philippe Le Banner (French pronunciation: [ʒeʁom filip lə banɛʁ]; born December 26, 1972) is a French kickboxer, mixed martial artist, and professional wrestler. Le Banner fought for most of his career in K-1 and became known for his aggressive fighting style and knockout power. He is a 2-time K-1 World Grand Prix runner up, a 2-time K-1 Preliminary Grand Prix champion, and is a multiple time world champion in Kickboxing and Muay Thai. He holds notable victories over Ernesto Hoost (twice), Francisco Filho, Mark Hunt (three times), Sam Greco, Mike Bernardo (twice), Peter Aerts, Rick Roufus, Remy Bonjasky, Tyrone Spong, Stefan Leko (twice), Masaaki Satake, Maurice Smith, Gary Goodridge (twice), Musashi (twice), Cyril Abidi and Choi Hong-man (twice).
2. Christian Tissier (b. 1951)
With an HPI of 46.76, Christian Tissier is the 2nd most famous French Martial Arts. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Christian Tissier (born 1951 in Paris, France) is one of the best known European aikido teachers, who pioneered the art in France. He started his Aikido training in 1962 as a child in Jean-Claude Tavernier's Dojo in Paris, following the style of Hiroo Mochizuki. He soon went on to train under Mutsuro Nakazono and was awarded by him the 2nd dan before leaving for Tokyo in 1969. He came to the Aikikai Hombu Dojo as an 18-year-old, and trained there for seven years. Among the teachers that have inspired him are Seigo Yamaguchi, Kisaburo Osawa and the second doshu Kisshomaru Ueshiba. While living in Tokyo, he also trained in Kenjutsu under Minoru Inaba at the Shiseikan and in Kickboxing at the Mejiro Gym. He also worked as a model and taught French language at a school and Institut Franco-japonais de Tokyo. He received 7th dan in 1998, and is among the handful of westerners who have been given the title Shihan by the Aikikai. He is a founding member of the Fédération Française d'Aïkido Aïkibudo et Affinitaires (FFAAA or 2F3A) which was created in 1983. He is also a member of the technical college (Collège Technique) in charge of the Dan grades examination and of the awarding of teaching certifications: Brevet d'Etat and Brevet Fédéral. These examinations take place jointly with members of the other federation, the Fédération Française d'Aïkido et de Budo (FFAB), within the Union des Fédérations d'Aïkido (UFA). Christian Tissier also serves the International Aikido Federation as an instructor during congresses and as a technical coordinator and demonstrator during major events such as the World Combat Games. He was one of the three Shihan (with Tsuruzo Miyamoto and Jiro Kimura) to be awarded the 8th dan by Aikido's Doshu Moriteru Ueshiba at the Kagamibiraki Ceremony held on January 11, 2016 at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo.
3. Frédérique Jossinet (b. 1975)
With an HPI of 28.17, Frédérique Jossinet is the 3rd most famous French Martial Arts. Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Frédérique Jossinet (born 16 December 1975 in Rosny-sous-Bois) is a French Olympic judoka in the lightest (less than 48 kg) class.
4. Cyrille Maret (b. 1987)
With an HPI of 26.06, Cyrille Maret is the 4th most famous French Martial Arts. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.
Cyrille Maret (born 11 August 1987) is a French judoka. Maret won a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, in the men's 100 kg.
5. Lamya Matoub (b. 1992)
With an HPI of 0.00, Lamya Matoub is the 5th most famous French Martial Arts. Her biography has been translated into different languages.
Lamya Matoub (born 18 January 1992) is a French-Algerian female karateka who generally competes in the kumite category. She has played in domestic level competitions in France representing Sarcelles club and shifted her focus to represent Algeria in international competitions. Lamya has claimed medals at various sport events including the World Karate Championships and in the World Games. On 26 August 2019, she claimed her second African Games medal in the 50 kg kumite category during the 2019 African Games and couldn't able to defend her gold medal she claimed during the 2015 African Games.
People
Pantheon has 5 people classified as French martial arts born between 1951 and 1992. Of these 5, 5 (100.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living French martial arts include Jérôme Le Banner, Christian Tissier, and Frédérique Jossinet. As of April 2024, 1 new French martial arts have been added to Pantheon including Lamya Matoub.
Living French Martial Arts
Go to all Rankings
Jérôme Le Banner
1972 - Present
HPI: 49.40
Christian Tissier
1951 - Present
HPI: 46.76
Frédérique Jossinet
1975 - Present
HPI: 28.17
Cyrille Maret
1987 - Present
HPI: 26.06
Lamya Matoub
1992 - Present
HPI: 0.00
