San Francisco · California · Tom's Hardware
Robotics startup has real human vs. robot cage match, California responds with cease-and-desist order
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A robotics startup received a cease-and-desist letter from the state of California after it hosted a human vs. robot fight in San Francisco.
Key facts
- REK founder and CEO Cix Liv shared the document on social media, with the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) telling the company to stop holding, promoting, or sponsoring these unsanctioned
- The cease-and-desist refers to the human vs. humanoid cage fight that the company sponsored on Sep
- While there’s no indication that Liv was inspired by the 2011 Hollywood film, the similarity of their concepts is uncanny
- But with the way the cease-and-desist was worded, it looks as though CSAC would not have intervened if the September 18 fight had been between robots
Summary
The cease-and-desist refers to the human vs. humanoid cage fight that the company sponsored on Sep. 18, 2026, where YouTuber Frankie LaPenna entered a fighting cage and faced off with three different robots. Now, it’s unclear if this was a sporting contest or a promotional stunt, but it was clearly used to give the REK robot fighting platform more publicity. REK is proof of life imitating art, as they've already seen something similar in the movie Real Steel, with Hugh Jackman’s character and his son training a discarded humanoid boxing robot, allowing it to rise through the ranks and challenge the reigning champion in a classic underdog plot intertwined with a father-and-son story.
Regardless of whether the LaPenna vs. robot fight was a legitimate combat sports event or a promotional showcase, it made sense for CSAC to step in.