Shootfighting

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Shootfighting

Focus	Hybrid (Combat Sport & Street Combat)
Country of origin	Japan
Famous practitioners	Alexander Gustafsson (UFC) Evan Tanner (UFC) Frank Shamrock (Strikeforce) Jake Shields (PFL) Kazushi Sakuraba (UFC) Ken Shamrock (Pancrase) Kyoji Horiguchi (Rizin FF) Takanori Gomi (Shooto)
Parenthood	Catch Wrestling, Shoot Wrestling, American Kenpo, Judo, Boxing, Kickboxing, Karate, Muay Thai, Jujutsu, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu[1]
Olympic sport	No

Shootfighting is a martial art and combat sport, with competitions governed by the International Shootfighting Association (ISFA). It incorporates techniques from a multitude of traditional martial arts, the most principal of these being wrestling and kenpo.

Shootfighting was previously used synonymously with mixed martial arts competitions in Japan, as opposed to shoot-style professional wrestling competitions. The term has been retired from common usage because it became a registered trademark of Bart Vale, who uses it to describe his hybrid fighting system derived from shoot wrestling. However, it is still sometimes used colloquially.

Examples which were once considered shootfighting styles, tournaments or organizations are Pancrase, Fighting Network RINGS, and Shooto, where many fighters still considered themselves to be shootfighters. Ken Shamrock is possibly the most recognisable shoot fighter, as it was the discipline he used during the early days of the UFC.