TechAINewsCalifornia is trying to shut down robot vs. human cage matchesThe state says Rek, the ‘humanoid robot fighting league,’ can’t host fights involving ‘any human’ in California without permission.The state says Rek, the ‘humanoid robot fighting league,’ can’t host fights involving ‘any human’ in California without permission.by Jay PetersOct 8, 2026, 8:06 PM UTCShareGiftImage: Frankie LaPenna Vlogs / RekJay Peters is a senior reporter covering technology, gaming, and more. He joined The Verge in 2019 after nearly two years at Techmeme.The California State Athletic Commission sent a cease-and-desist letter to a startup that hosted a match between a human and a robot last month, as reported by The New York Times.The fight, which took place on September 18th, pitted a human, Frankie LaPenna, against a humanoid robot owned by a tech startup, Rek, that was being piloted by a human using what the NYT described as a “remote virtual-reality system.” Rek says it is the “the humanoid robot fighting league” on its website, and the robot appears to be one from EngineAI but with a Terminator-like head swapped on top.You can watch a replay of the fight on YouTube:The CEO of Rek, Cix Liv, posted the letter to X on September 30th, which 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. “We made it boys,” Liv said.Rek’s next planned match, which takes place on Friday, will feature two robots with weapons fighting each other.Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Jay PetersAINewsRobotTechMost PopularGTA VI leaks continue with a lengthy (and very nude) gameplay videoAnthropic bans ‘abusive or cruel behavior’ toward ClaudeGoogle invests millions in Mark Zuckerberg’s efforts to create a ‘virtual cell’Apple announces surprise ‘Welcome home’ launch eventTeenage Engineering’s CEO says it’ll stop making synthsAdvertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native ad
