California authorities demand an end to fights between humans and 180-centimeter robots

The California State Athletic Commission has issued an official warning to Robot Entertainment Kombat (REK), a robot fighting league. The trigger was a cage fight between a human and a humanoid robot, staged in September.

The league is based in San Francisco and runs live fights between humanoid robots. REK was founded by VR entrepreneur Cix Liv. Organizers billed the September show as the "world’s first human-robot fight."

A video of the fight went up on YouTube. Influencer Frankie LaPenna stepped in against a robot roughly six feet tall, wearing protective gear:

• headgear

• gloves

• kneepads

Soon after the video was published, REK received a letter from the commission demanding that it stop. The document states that if such events are held again, the organizers could face a misdemeanor charge, an offense that US law classes as a less serious crime.

Cix Liv confirmed receipt of the letter on X and took it with a dose of irony.

We made it boys. California sent us a Cease and Desist for "UNSANCTIONED HUMAN VERSUS HUMANOID ROBOT CAGE FIGHT".

The regulator's complaint had nothing to do with the format of the fight itself. According to the New York Post, the letter was sent because the organizers did not get the commission's approval before the event. The document does not challenge the idea of a robot facing a human opponent.

The California State Athletic Commission oversees professional combat sports in the state, including boxing and mixed martial arts. Any event featuring human fighters needs its approval in advance. The process lets the commission keep track of athletes' medical clearances and safety measures.

So in this case, the founder's reaction looks aimed more at generating hype.