California Issues Cease-and-Desist Over Human-vs-Robot Cage Matches
California regulator tells robot-fighting startup Rek it cannot hold human boxing or MMA matches without approval.
The September 18 fight pitted Frankie LaPenna, a human, against a humanoid robot owned by Rek. The robot was piloted by a human using what The New York Times described as a “remote virtual-reality system.” Rek describes itself on its website as “the humanoid robot fighting league.” The robot appears to be one from EngineAI but with a Terminator-like head swapped on top.
Rek CEO Cix Liv posted the letter to X on September 30. The letter called the fight “unsanctioned” and demanded that Liv and Rek stop “holding, promoting or advertising any boxing or mixed martial arts contest match, or exhibition, involving any human” in California without the approval of the California State Athletic Commission. Liv responded: “We made it boys.”
The letter’s demand concerns contests or exhibitions involving any human. Rek’s next planned match, scheduled for Friday, will feature two robots with weapons fighting each other.
Editor's Summary California’s athletic commission has told Rek to stop holding or promoting human boxing or MMA matches in the state without approval after a September 18 human-vs-robot fight. Rek’s CEO posted the letter publicly, and the startup’s next scheduled event is a robot-versus-robot weapons match. The dispute shows how existing combat-sports rules are being applied to robot fighting exhibitions that include human participants.