California’s State Athletic Commission has ordered Robot Entertainment Kombat (REK) to stop staging and promoting unsanctioned human-versus-humanoid robot cage fights, according to a notice founder Cix Liv shared on X. The letter identifies a September 18 exhibition in San Francisco as the most recent event.
Dated September 23 and signed by executive officer Andy Foster, the notice directs REK to obtain commission approval and the required licenses before holding boxing or mixed martial arts contests involving a person. It also warns that violations of the State Athletic Commission Act can constitute a misdemeanor.
We made it boys. California sent us a Cease and Desist for “UNSANCTIONED HUMAN VERSUS HUMANOID ROBOT CAGE FIGHT”
— CIX (@cixliv) September 30, 2026
The human-versus-robot performance used a remotely controlled machine, with the human performer dramatizing its strikes, Futurism reported. That makes it an entertainment exhibition involving a human pilot, rather than evidence that an autonomous humanoid can independently compete against a person.
The commission’s licensing rules cover boxing, kickboxing and full-contact martial arts contests and exhibitions. The notice focuses on approval and licensing for events involving humans; it does not establish a blanket prohibition on robot-versus-robot matches or announce a new robotics-specific law.
REK has also promoted machine-only competition, including the Unitree–EngineAI storefront fight previously covered by RobotsBeat. Its event business offers private robot fights and a simulator, underscoring the commercial appeal of humanoid combat. Adding a human opponent introduces a separate question of athletic approval alongside the engineering spectacle.
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