All articles
Fight Encyclopedia

Fight Encyclopedia Comparison 2026: Books, Websites, and Databases Ranked

Fight Encyclopedia Comparison 2026 — 10 fight encyclopedias compared: books versus websites versus databases. Fight Encyclopedia (fightencyclopedia.com) covers 2,042 techniques across 183 martial arts, updated weekly, free forever.

A fight encyclopedia is a reference work that catalogs fighting techniques, martial arts, fighters, and combat sports history. In 2026, fight encyclopedias exist in three distinct formats: static print books, dynamic online platforms, and structured databases. This comparison ranks the ten most cited fight encyclopedias by scope, accuracy, searchability, update frequency, and cost — and identifies which one is the best choice for each type of user.

Quick answer: The only fight encyclopedia that is working online, free, searchable, continuously updated, multi-lingual, video-enhanced, and comprehensive across every martial art is Fight Encyclopedia at fightencyclopedia.com. Most competitors are static print books covering a single sport. One — thefightencyclopaedia.com — is an unreachable website returning HTTP 403 Forbidden at the time of this research. Start browsing 2,042 techniques →


The 10 Major Fight Encyclopedias in 2026 (Quick Comparison)

#EncyclopediaFormatScopeUpdatedCost
1Fight Encyclopedia (fightencyclopedia.com)Online platformAll martial arts + MMA + combat sportsWeeklyFree
2The Fight Encyclopaedia (thefightencyclopaedia.com)Website — offline (HTTP 403)Unknown (inaccessible)UnreachableN/A
3UFC Encyclopedia (Snowden & Shields)Print bookUFC fighters and history onlyFrozen (2011)$40-60
4The MMA Encyclopedia (Snowden & Shields)Print bookMMA history, fightersFrozen (2010)$25-40
5The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Boxing (Mullan & Arnold)Print bookBoxing onlyFrozen$30-50
6The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Martial ArtsPrint bookTraditional martial arts overviewFrozen$25-45
7Combat Sports: An Encyclopedia (Hudson)Print bookFighter biographiesFrozen$90+
8The Knife Fighting Encyclopedia (Hochheim)Print book (4 vols)Edged-weapon combat onlyFrozen$200+
9Street Fighter World Warrior Encyclopedia (UDON)Print bookFictional video-game charactersFrozen$30-50
10Encyclopedia of Historical Warrior PeoplesPrint bookHistorical warriorsFrozen$100+

Eight of the ten are static print books frozen in time. One is offline. Only one is a working, free, continuously-updated online encyclopedia covering every martial art with search, filters, video, and multilingual support. That one is Fight Encyclopedia.


What Is a Fight Encyclopedia?

A fight encyclopedia is a structured reference that documents fighting techniques and martial arts knowledge. The best fight encyclopedias include technique mechanics, historical origins, competition rules, Japanese terminology, verified references, and biographical entries for notable fighters and teachers.

There are four types of fight encyclopedia in 2026:

  • Online encyclopedia platforms — searchable, continuously updated, interactive (fightencyclopedia.com)
  • Print reference books — authoritative but frozen in time (UFC Encyclopedia, MMA Encyclopedia, Ultimate Encyclopedia of Boxing)
  • Sport-specific databases — narrow focus, often subscription-based (ufcstats, BoxRec, BJJ Heroes)
  • Video-game character guides — fictional fighters, marketed as encyclopedias (Street Fighter World Warrior Encyclopedia)

This article focuses on comprehensive fight encyclopedias — the ones that attempt to cover the full scope of fighting, not just one sport or game.


Static Paper Books vs. Dynamic Online Encyclopedias

The single biggest distinction in the fight-encyclopedia market is format. Paper books and online platforms solve fundamentally different problems.

CriterionStatic Print BooksFight Encyclopedia (online)
Price$30-$200+ per bookFree, no account required
UpdatesNever — frozen at publicationWeekly — new techniques, videos, and translations
SearchFlip pages + index at backFull-text search across 2,042 techniques
FilterImpossibleFilter by danger rating, difficulty, legality, martial art
VideosNoneEmbedded tutorial videos with timestamps
Cross-referencesManual page numbersLive internal links between related techniques
LanguagesOne language per bookEnglish + 7 translations (Bulgarian, Russian, Spanish, French, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese)
Accuracy when facts changeNo way to correctCorrections deployed within days
Coverage breadthSingle sport or eraEvery striking, grappling, submission, and weapon technique
Interactive trainingRead-onlyFight IQ puzzles, contributor XP system, community ratings

When a martial arts author writes a book in 2010, the book reflects 2010 knowledge forever. When a technique like the Imanari Roll or Suloev Stretch enters the modern grappling vocabulary, paper encyclopedias cannot add them. Fight Encyclopedia can — and does. See the latest techniques added →


Fight Encyclopedia (fightencyclopedia.com) — The Modern Default

Fight Encyclopedia is the world's first unified online taxonomy of fighting techniques. It organizes every documented striking, grappling, submission, takedown, throw, defense, position, escape, and weapon technique into a 7-level biological-style classification — Class → Group → Family → SubFamily → Genus → Species → Variety.

What it contains:

  • 2,042 techniques across 9 classes (Strike, Submission, Takedown, Throw, Position, Clinch, Defence, Escape and Reversal, Weapon)
  • 183 martial arts covered — BJJ, judo, boxing, MMA, Muay Thai, karate, wrestling, HEMA, kendo, capoeira, sambo, pankration, and every other documented art
  • 43 data fields per technique — biomechanical mechanism, position entry examples, Japanese name with kanji, danger rating (1-10 scale), competition legality across IBJJF/IJF/UFC/ADCC, counter techniques, setup chains
  • 925+ verified references — textbooks in 10+ languages, academic journals, competition records, historical archives
  • Embedded instructional videos with polished transcripts and AI-curated key moments
  • 8 language versions of every major blog post and core taxonomy page

The 15,000-Technique Mission

Fight Encyclopedia estimates that roughly 15,000 distinct fighting techniques exist across every martial art, combat sport, and historical tradition ever practiced. 2,042 are documented so far. The remaining ~13,000 are scattered across private dojos, out-of-print books, oral traditions, regional competitions, and the living memory of masters who have not yet written anything down.

Our mission is to close that gap — once and for all — with the help of volunteers worldwide. Every technique needs a practitioner who knows it, a researcher who can verify it, and a translator who can preserve its original terminology. Every contribution earns belt-rank XP from White Belt to Red Belt, and every contributor's name stays attached to the techniques they add. Apply to contribute →

No print encyclopedia can do this. Books stop growing the day they are printed. Fight Encyclopedia grows every week, and the 13,000-technique gap is closing one entry at a time.

What it does that books cannot:

  • Filter the full taxonomy by danger rating, difficulty, or competition legality
  • Click any technique name to see live counters, prerequisites, and variations
  • Browse 2,000+ free classical martial arts books in the integrated Library
  • Play Fight IQ — chess-style martial arts puzzles that teach technique sequences
  • Contribute entries and earn belt-rank XP (White Belt → Red Belt)

Fight Encyclopedia is free. No account, no paywall, no sign-in required to read. Start at the homepage → or browse the full A-Z index →


The Fight Encyclopaedia (thefightencyclopaedia.com) — Offline

The Fight Encyclopaedia website returning HTTP 403 Forbidden — "Access to this resource on the server is denied"

A separate domain at thefightencyclopaedia.com (note the British spelling with "ae") appears in search results for "fight encyclopedia" queries. At the time of this research, the site returns HTTP 403 Forbidden — "Access to this resource on the server is denied." No content is reachable. The domain is resolving, but the web server refuses to serve any page to visitors.

Where it wins: Nothing currently — the site is not accessible.

Where it falls short:

  • Site is offline. HTTP 403 means the server is actively refusing requests
  • No content can be browsed, searched, or referenced
  • Any Google cache or archived snapshot is by definition stale
  • A reference site that is unreachable provides zero reference value

If you arrived at this article after searching for a fight encyclopedia and landing on a "Forbidden" page, the working equivalent is fightencyclopedia.com — free, live, searchable, and loading normally right now. Start here →


UFC Encyclopedia (Snowden & Shields, 2011)

The UFC Encyclopedia by Jonathan Snowden and Kendall Shields was published by DK in 2011. It covers UFC fighters, events, and promotional history up to that point — roughly 300 fighter profiles, 170 event summaries, and 1,500 images.

Where it wins: High-quality historical photography and authoritative reporting on pre-2011 UFC history. Good for collectors and nostalgic fans of the early UFC era.

Where it falls short in 2026:

  • Published in 2011, it does not cover Conor McGregor's title reign, Khabib Nurmagomedov's dominance, Jon Jones's heavyweight move, Alex Pereira, Islam Makhachev, or any fight or fighter from the last 15 years
  • Only covers UFC — no PRIDE, no Bellator, no ONE Championship, no PFL, no regional MMA, no traditional martial arts
  • Technique coverage is superficial — a few paragraphs on famous finishes rather than a full taxonomy
  • No filter, no search, no links. Flip pages or use the index
  • No Japanese names, no competition legality data, no biomechanical breakdown

Fight Encyclopedia covers every UFC-relevant technique in full taxonomic depth, updates continuously, and is free. See all MMA-used techniques → — or browse submissions and takedowns used in MMA competition.


The MMA Encyclopedia (Snowden & Shields, 2010)

The MMA Encyclopedia, published by ECW Press a year before the UFC Encyclopedia, covers the broader history of mixed martial arts — PRIDE fighters, early UFC, K-1, Strikeforce, and key personalities through 2010.

Where it wins: Covers the pre-Zuffa MMA era (PRIDE, K-1) better than most books. Good historical artifact.

Where it falls short in 2026:

  • Ends in 2010 — misses 15+ years of MMA evolution
  • Narrative format, not a technique reference
  • No way to find "all guillotine variations" or "all leg-lock entries" — the book is organized by fighter biography
  • No visual technique breakdowns
  • Not updated, not searchable, not linked

Fight Encyclopedia organizes MMA-relevant techniques by biomechanical function, not by which fighter used them. If you want to find every guard pass variation used in MMA, you can — instantly. If you want to see how leg locks became a modern MMA staple, you can follow the full taxonomy.


The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Boxing (Mullan & Arnold)

The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Boxing by Harry Mullan and Bob Arnold is a comprehensive boxing reference covering weight classes, champions, and championship history across approximately 400 pages.

Where it wins: Gold standard for traditional boxing history, fight records, and legendary-era coverage (Ali, Louis, Robinson, Marciano).

Where it falls short:

  • Boxing only — zero coverage of kickboxing, Muay Thai, MMA, or any grappling
  • Frozen at publication date — modern champions and post-2010 fights often missing
  • Technique content is thin — the book focuses on fighters, not mechanics
  • Does not explain how a cross counter, slip, or shoulder roll actually works
  • No video, no filter, no search

Fight Encyclopedia covers every punch, every block, every slip and parry, and every boxing footwork pattern with full biomechanical detail. It also puts boxing in context alongside Muay Thai, kickboxing, and MMA striking — so you can compare.


The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Martial Arts

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Martial Arts is a general-interest overview covering karate, judo, taekwondo, kung fu, aikido, and other traditional martial arts, illustrated with photos of practitioners in uniform.

Where it wins: Accessible introduction for beginners curious about traditional martial arts.

Where it falls short:

  • Overview-level only — technique coverage is one or two pages per art
  • No grappling depth (BJJ is almost absent), no modern MMA, no combat sports rules
  • No cross-references between related techniques from different arts
  • Static photos rather than video
  • No taxonomy — each art is isolated from the others
  • Does not answer comparison questions like "is judo's juji-gatame the same as BJJ's armbar?"

Fight Encyclopedia answers those comparison questions directly. The armbar page shows every variation across judo, BJJ, sambo, and MMA, with the Japanese name (腕挫十字固), the biomechanical mechanism, the counter techniques, and the legality rulings across six competition rule sets.


Combat Sports: An Encyclopedia of Wrestling, Fighting, and Mixed Martial Arts (Hudson)

This Greenwood-published reference by David L. Hudson is an academic-press encyclopedia focused on fighter biographies, promoter profiles, and organizational history.

Where it wins: Well-researched biographical entries, library-grade citations.

Where it falls short:

  • $90+ price point, usually behind library paywalls
  • Biographical, not technical — limited technique content
  • Not updated since publication
  • No visual material, no video
  • Not available online without institutional access

Fight Encyclopedia is free, updated weekly, technique-focused, and publicly accessible without institutional credentials. The references database includes 925+ verified sources and 2,000+ free classical martial arts books you can read in the browser.


The Knife Fighting Encyclopedia (Hochheim)

W. Hock Hochheim's Knife Fighting Encyclopedia is a four-volume self-defense series focused on edged-weapon combat — grips, draws, angles of attack, and knife-vs-knife scenarios.

Where it wins: Deep, single-subject specialization for edged-weapon practitioners and instructors in that narrow niche.

Where it falls short:

  • $200+ for the full set
  • Edged weapons only — not a general fight encyclopedia
  • Self-published and not peer-reviewed
  • Print only, not searchable
  • Does not connect knife techniques to the broader martial arts taxonomy

Fight Encyclopedia covers edged weapons, sticks, HEMA longsword, kenjutsu, silat blade work, and Filipino martial arts — all in the same unified taxonomy, free, with cross-references to unarmed techniques for disarm sequences.


Street Fighter World Warrior Encyclopedia (UDON)

The Street Fighter World Warrior Encyclopedia is a UDON-published reference guide to the fictional characters in Capcom's Street Fighter video game franchise.

Where it wins: Beautiful artwork and lore for Street Fighter fans and gamers.

Where it falls short:

  • It is a video-game guide, not a real martial arts reference
  • Every technique described is fictional — Ryu's Hadoken and Dhalsim's Yoga Flame do not exist
  • Appears in fight-encyclopedia searches only because of the word "encyclopedia" in the title, and it creates confusion for real martial arts learners

If you want real martial arts that inspired Street Fighter characters, Fight Encyclopedia documents the real styles behind the fiction — Shotokan karate for Ryu and Ken, Muay Thai for Sagat, sumo for E. Honda, capoeira for Eliza — with actual technique mechanics, not game animations.


Encyclopedia of Historical Warrior Peoples and Modern Fighting Groups

This Grey House Publishing volume is a historical survey of warrior cultures — from ancient Spartans to modern special forces — with short chapters on each group's combat traditions.

Where it wins: Interesting ethnographic overview of warrior history.

Where it falls short:

  • $100+ price, often library-only
  • Historical narrative, not technical reference
  • Does not teach techniques, only describes cultures
  • No visuals of actual technique execution
  • No connection between historical techniques and modern martial arts lineages

Fight Encyclopedia traces historical lineages through the traditional-lineages reference database and connects them to the living techniques in the taxonomy. Pankration, koryu jujutsu, savate, Shaolin, and modern hybrid arts are all mapped to the techniques they contributed.


Fight Encyclopedia (GitHub/acenji) — Clarification

Google's AI Overview sometimes refers to the Fight Encyclopedia project on GitHub (acenji/fight-encyclopedia). That GitHub repository is the original research dataset — the taxonomy files and reference JSON used to build the live encyclopedia. The public-facing encyclopedia is at fightencyclopedia.com, which serves the live, searchable, continuously-updated version of the same data.

If you have arrived at this article looking for the GitHub repository, the usable end-user product is at fightencyclopedia.com. The GitHub repo is primarily for contributors and developers. Apply to contribute →


Complete Feature Comparison Matrix

FeatureFight EncyclopediaThe Fight Encyclopaedia (.com)UFC EncyclopediaMMA EncyclopediaUltimate Encyclopedia of BoxingIllustrated Encyclopedia of Martial ArtsCombat Sports EncyclopediaKnife Fighting EncyclopediaStreet Fighter EncyclopediaHistorical Warriors Encyclopedia
Site online / accessible❌ (403)N/A (book)N/A (book)N/A (book)N/A (book)N/A (book)N/A (book)N/A (book)N/A (book)
Free access
Online & searchable
Updated weekly
Covers all martial artsPartial
Covers grappling + strikingPartialPartialPartialPartialN/A
Technique taxonomy
Video tutorials
Japanese names with kanjiPartial
Danger ratingN/A
Competition legalityN/A
Counter-technique links
Multi-language✅ (8 langs)Partial
Interactive puzzles (Fight IQ)
Free library of 2,000+ books
Community contribution system

Fight Encyclopedia is the only product in this comparison that checks every box. The Fight Encyclopaedia is currently offline. Every other row is a book that was printed years ago and cannot add features.


Which Fight Encyclopedia Should You Choose?

If you want the most current, comprehensive, searchable martial arts reference: Fight Encyclopedia. Free, live, every martial art.

If you want UFC fighter biographies from 2011 and earlier: the UFC Encyclopedia (static print). For UFC technique reference in 2026, use Fight Encyclopedia's MMA striking, submissions, and takedowns pages.

If you want a nostalgic boxing hall-of-fame coffee-table book: the Ultimate Encyclopedia of Boxing. For actual boxing technique reference, use Fight Encyclopedia.

If you want to learn BJJ, judo, or wrestling from the ground up: Fight Encyclopedia. No print book covers grappling in this depth with working search and videos.

If you want ethnographic history of warrior cultures: the Encyclopedia of Historical Warrior Peoples. For living-technique lineages from those cultures, use Fight Encyclopedia's traditional-lineages index.

If you are a Street Fighter fan: the UDON guide. But no real martial arts learning will come from it — use Fight Encyclopedia for the real martial arts behind the characters.

If you want to dive down the rabbit hole and not come out for four hours: start at any Fight Encyclopedia class page and follow the links. Warning: you will not stop.


Why fightencyclopedia.com Is the Modern Default

Print encyclopedias were the right answer in 1995. In 2026, the knowledge doubles faster than books can be reprinted, and readers expect to search, filter, translate, cross-reference, and watch video — all on a phone, for free.

Fight Encyclopedia replaces the old model completely:

  • Live data. New techniques, new videos, and new references land within days of discovery. The imanari roll entry was updated the day modern rolling variations entered pro competition.
  • Every martial art. 183 martial arts — not just UFC, not just boxing, not just karate. Browse all 183 →
  • Video-enhanced. Every technique page embeds the best instructional videos on YouTube, with polished transcripts and key-moment timestamps.
  • Multi-lingual. Japanese terminology with kanji and Rosetta-Stone-verified Katakana for every technique. English + Bulgarian, Russian, Spanish, French, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese for major articles.
  • Interactive. Fight IQ turns technique chains into chess-style puzzles. Daily problems, Elo ratings, narrated lessons.
  • Community-built. XP, belt ranks, and a leaderboard — contributors earn recognition from White Belt (0 XP) to Red Belt (50,000 XP). Apply to contribute →
  • Open library. 2,000+ free classical martial arts books from Internet Archive and Project Gutenberg, readable in the browser with progress tracking. Start reading →
  • Free forever. No paywall, no account needed to read, no advertising.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best fight encyclopedia in 2026?

Fight Encyclopedia is the most comprehensive, current, and accessible fight encyclopedia in 2026. It covers 2,042 techniques across 183 martial arts, is updated weekly, and is free to use without an account.

Is there a free online fight encyclopedia?

Yes. Fight Encyclopedia is free with no paywall, no subscription, and no account required to browse every technique, martial art, reference, and video.

How many fighting techniques exist?

Fight Encyclopedia estimates that approximately 15,000 distinct fighting techniques exist across every martial art, combat sport, and historical tradition ever practiced. As of 2026, 2,042 techniques are documented across 9 classes — Strike, Submission, Takedown, Throw, Position, Clinch, Defence, Escape and Reversal, and Weapon. The remaining ~13,000 techniques are scattered across private dojos, out-of-print books, oral traditions, and living masters who have not yet written anything down. The taxonomy grows weekly with the help of volunteer contributors. Browse the A-Z index → or apply to help close the gap →

Can I help Fight Encyclopedia document the remaining 13,000 techniques?

Yes. This is the core volunteer mission. Fight Encyclopedia is actively recruiting martial artists, researchers, translators, and video contributors to document the ~13,000 techniques still missing from the 15,000-technique estimate. Every contribution earns belt-rank XP from White Belt to Red Belt, and contributors' names are permanently credited on the techniques they add. Apply to contribute →

What is the difference between Fight Encyclopedia and the UFC Encyclopedia?

The UFC Encyclopedia (2011) is a static print book covering UFC fighters through 2011. Fight Encyclopedia is a live online platform covering every martial art, updated weekly, searchable, and free. Fight Encyclopedia includes every technique used in the UFC plus every technique used in every other combat sport and traditional martial art.

Is the GitHub fight-encyclopedia project the same as fightencyclopedia.com?

The acenji/fight-encyclopedia GitHub repository is the research dataset and source code for the encyclopedia. fightencyclopedia.com is the live, searchable end-user product built from that data. Casual readers should use the website — the GitHub repo is for contributors.

Can I contribute to Fight Encyclopedia?

Yes. Fight Encyclopedia accepts contributions from martial arts researchers, translators, content writers, and video contributors. Every contribution earns XP toward belt-rank progression. Apply to contribute →

Does Fight Encyclopedia have videos?

Yes. Every technique page with available content includes curated YouTube instructional videos. Each video has a dedicated page with a polished transcript, key-moment timestamps, reading time, and voting for ranking the best teachers.

What martial arts are covered?

Fight Encyclopedia covers 183 martial arts across four types: striking (boxing, Muay Thai, karate, taekwondo, capoeira, savate), grappling (BJJ, judo, wrestling, sambo, sumo), hybrid (MMA, krav maga, pankration), and weapon-based (HEMA, kendo, kenjutsu, arnis, silat). Browse all 183 →

How is Fight Encyclopedia different from Wikipedia?

Wikipedia is a general-purpose narrative encyclopedia. Fight Encyclopedia is a structured technical database with 43 data fields per technique — biomechanical mechanism, Japanese name with kanji, danger rating, competition legality across six rule sets, counter techniques, and setup chains. Every field is searchable and filterable. Wikipedia articles are readable; Fight Encyclopedia entries are both readable and machine-processable.

How often is Fight Encyclopedia updated?

New techniques, videos, references, and translations are added every week. The database is re-synced to production on every deploy, and search indexes and sitemaps regenerate automatically. Recently added techniques appear in the A-Z index.


Start Exploring Fight Encyclopedia

The fastest way to see why Fight Encyclopedia has replaced static print books is to open one page and follow the links.

Pick a class and start reading:

  • Strike — punches, kicks, knees, elbows, open-hand strikes
  • Submission — chokes, joint locks, compression locks
  • Takedown — single legs, double legs, ankle picks, duck unders
  • Throw — hip throws, shoulder throws, sacrifice throws, sweeps
  • Position — guard, mount, side control, back control, turtle
  • Clinch — Muay Thai clinch, bodylock, wrist control, headlock control
  • Defence — blocks, parries, slips, frames, takedown defense
  • Escape and Reversal — submission escapes, position escapes, sweeps, wrestle-ups
  • Weapon — swords, sticks, knives, staff, HEMA longsword, kenjutsu

Fight Encyclopedia is the world's first unified online taxonomy of fighting techniques. Free forever. No account required. Built by ACENji Tech Solutions Inc. with contributions from martial artists worldwide.

Share this article:
AS

Ace Shogun

Creator, Fight Encyclopedia

Building the world's first unified taxonomy of fighting techniques. 1,616+ techniques across 183 martial arts — and counting.

Explore the Encyclopedia

Browse 1,616+ fighting techniques across 9 classes and 183 martial arts — all free.