California Regulators Halt Human-vs-Robot Fighting Match
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According to The Verge on October 9, 2026, the California State Athletic Commission sent a cease-and-desist letter to startup Rek, calling a human-versus-robot fight event it held on September 18 this year "unapproved." The match pitted human fighter Frankie LaPenna against a humanoid robot; the report said the robot was controlled by humans via a "remote virtual reality system," and its body appeared to come from EngineAI. The letter demands that Rek not hold any further boxing or MMA-type events involving humans in California without approval. The report also mentioned that Rek's next event, originally scheduled for Friday, would take the form of two armed robots fighting each other. No public response from Rek to the letter has been seen; the event's subsequent course awaits further reporting.
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- The Verge · AICalifornia is trying to shut down robot vs. human cage matches
The California State Athletic Commission sent a cease-and-desist letter to startup Rek, calling its September 18 match between human Frankie LaPenna and a humanoid robot 'unapproved' and demanding it hold no more unapproved boxing or MMA-style events involving humans in California. The robot was piloted by a human through a 'remote virtual reality system,' and its body appears to come from EngineAI. Rek's next event, scheduled for Friday, will pit two armed robots against each other.