California Shuts Down Robot Fighting Spectacle With Cease-and-Desist

REK, a robotics company, drew regulatory fire from California after staging a human-versus-robot fighting event in the state. The startup's founder and CEO Cix Liv disclosed that the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) had sent a cease-and-desist order, instructing the company to discontinue hosting, marketing, or underwriting these unlicensed contests. According to the letter, conducting such events without proper authorization constitutes a misdemeanor under state law.

The confrontation that triggered the order took place on September 18, 2026, when YouTuber Frankie LaPenna stepped into a cage to battle three separate robots. Whether the encounter was genuine athletic competition or a marketing exercise remains ambiguous, though REK clearly leveraged the spectacle to amplify visibility for its robot fighting platform. The company has been promoting its offerings with the tagline "Real pilots, real punches. Humanoid robots in brutal, full-contact combat," and it also sells private events featuring robots competing across three rounds.

The venture echoes the 2011 film Real Steel, in which Hugh Jackman's character and his son rehabilitate a discarded humanoid boxing robot that eventually competes for the championship. Though no evidence suggests Liv drew inspiration from the movie, the conceptual overlap is striking. Another robotics company has similarly mimicked Hollywood by decommissioning robots in a dramatic fashion, sending them into molten steel.

REK maintains a catalog of past matches available for viewing on its website and YouTube. The company stages live events, though no schedule has been announced for the remainder of the year. Spectators can arrange private matches starting at $10,000. For those interested in piloting the robots themselves, REK offers the Real Robot Simulator on Steam and Meta Quest, with top performers potentially earning opportunities to operate actual machines in live competitions.

The CSAC's intervention was justified given its mandate to oversee combat sports involving human participants and enforce safety standards. The wording of the cease-and-desist suggests the commission would not have objected had the September 18 event featured only robots competing against each other.

The Cease and Desist Order

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that you and each of you are hereby ordered to cease and desist from: (1) holding, promoting, or advertising any boxing or mixed martial arts contest match, or exhibition, involving any human in the State of California without the prior approval of the California State Athletic Commission, or (2) engaging in the promotion of, or participation in, a boxing or martial arts contest, match, or exhibition involving any human without a license pursuant to Business and Professions Code section 18640.

California State Athletic Commission

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that Business and Professions Code section 18870 and 18878 make it a misdemeanor for a person or promoter who is required to be license by the State Athletic Commission to directly or indirectly hold, aid or abet, or attempt to hold, aid, or abet the holding of, any contest, match, or exhibition without having first obtained a license or permit therefor from the State Athletic Commission or to otherwise violate any provision of the State Athletic Commission Act.

California State Athletic Commission