MARTIAL ARTS from France

Top 4

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 (1972 - )

With an HPI of 46.62, Jérôme Le Banner is the most famous French Martial Arts.  His biography has been translated into 16 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 (1951 - )

With an HPI of 44.69, 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. Cyrille Maret (1987 - )

With an HPI of 25.97, Cyrille Maret is the 3rd most famous French Martial Arts.  His biography has been translated into 18 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.

4. Frédérique Jossinet (1975 - )

With an HPI of 25.82, Frédérique Jossinet is the 4th 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.