Introduced in 648 BC, the pankration (meaning all strength or power) was the most brutal event in the Olympic games.
Reminiscent of the modern Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), pankration was a test of an athlete's skill, endurance and fighting ability. It combined boxing, wrestling, and kicking, chokes and throws.
There were few rules. You couldn't bite or gouge out a fighter's eyes and genital attacks may have been banned. But you could do everything else and you had to do it nude, unarmed, and oiled up.
A bout continued until a contestant submitted, fell unconscious or died.
The sport was popular at the time, but not revived with the modern Olympics.
