Robot Entertainment Kombat hosts a human vs. robot fight in San Francisco on Sept. 18, 2026. Screenshot
In a test between man and machine at a San Francisco arena, it wasn’t clear what would happen. Onlookers wondered: Could a man clad in body armor and presumably prosthetic buttocks successfully take on a 6-foot-tall “Terminator”-like robot in hand-to-hand combat?
Results of what organizers said was the first human vs. robot cage fight were mixed. One robot was taken out of the ring on a stretcher, while another outlasted man’s endurance by refusing to stay down. But a new fight emerged from the octagon that night — a legal one.
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The California State Athletic Commission issued Robot Entertainment Kombat, the organization that put on the fight, a cease and desist letter on Sept. 23, alleging the fight was an “unsanctioned” contest. The letter, obtained by SFGATE, also warned that holding any fights involving humans without a permit could result in a criminal charge.
“The California State Athletic Commission is committed to protecting the safety of the public and integrity of combat sports,” said California Department of Consumer Affairs spokesperson Monica Vargas in a statement to SFGATE. “Unsanctioned activity puts the physical and financial well-being of all those involved at risk and such activity will not be tolerated.”
REK did not respond to a request for comment, but the letter appeared to be somewhat of a trophy for REK CEO Cix Liv, who posted a photo of the letter on X with the caption, “We made it boys.”
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The Athletic Commission’s gripe with REK surrounds a Sept. 18 fight between one man and three robots at the company’s arena off Van Ness Avenue. Representing the human race was influencer Frankie LaPenna, whose claim to fame is a massive, surely fake behind.
In a video posted to LaPenna’s YouTube account, the 5-foot-6 brawler, who was clad only in khaki shorts and shin guards below the waist, looked sheepish as he geared up to face one of his opponents: a 200-pound humanoid robot with a 850-pound kick force. As he stared down his opponent, LaPenna was sweating, muttering to the camera “f—k me,” just as an audience member chimed, “You might be f—ked, dawg.”
An announcer also commented on the novelty of the setup, saying the event was “probably legal … not sure yet.”
Robot Entertainment Kombat hosts a human vs. robot fight in San Francisco on Sept. 18, 2026. Screenshot
“Now you know why we cover the windows,” the same announcer said. “The crackheads outside would have a very difficult time explaining this to their friends.”
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Human historians in a dystopian robot-run world would be proud of the fight LaPenna put up to the machine. Out of three rounds with three different robots, LaPenna lost only one. However, his first scrap could hardly be called even. LaPenna started off against a robot half his size, which he took down in seconds with a quick boot to the back of the machine’s head. Round 2 was more daunting, as he faced a 6-foot-tall, 200-pound robot with glaring red eyes capable of throwing a kick with 850 pounds of force.
Even with LaPenna’s body armor, the move by the “Terminator” sent him flying across the octagon with a direct hit to his abdomen. Rowdy onlookers, apparently stunned LaPenna would be able to lift himself back up, slammed the barricades to cheer on the human race. That energy may have been just be what he needed, as he eventually sent the robot off with a nonchalant two-handed push.
Robot Entertainment Kombat hosts a human vs. robot fight in San Francisco on Sept. 18, 2026. Screenshot
In his last bout against a much more nimble fighter dubbed the “Predator,” a nod to an extraterrestrial species from the 1987 science-fiction action film of the same name, LaPenna’s human nature became his downfall. Robots, as he found out, don’t get tired.
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“He doesn’t get tired, he doesn’t stay down,” LaPenna noted about the robot in a post-fight interview. “Just keeps getting up, I thought he was gonna be dead.”
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