Pankration, as practiced in historical antiquity, was an athletic event that combined techniques of both boxing (pygmē / pygmachia – πυγμή / πυγμαχία) and wrestling (palē – πάλη), as well as additional elements, such as the use of strikes with the legs, to create a broad fighting sport similar to today's mixed martial arts competitions.

pankration, ancient Greek sports event that combined boxing and wrestling, introduced at the XXXIII Olympiad (648 bce). Simple fisticuffs had been introduced in 688 bce. It was particularly popular among Spartans. Contests were savage, with hitting, kicking, twisting of limbs, strangling, and struggling on the ground allowed.

Pankration is an ancient martial art which mixes wrestling and boxing. The sport can be traced as far back as the second millennium BCE in the territory of ancient Greece. Its name derives from the ancient Greek words pan (all) and kratos (strength, might, power) and literally means “all of the might.”