A 6ft-tall Terminator-style robot rose into the octagon, its eyes glowing red and metal fists clenched, as its human opponent watched from across the ring.
“It’s nice knowing you!” one spectator shouted at influencer Frankie LaPenna as the man and machine faced each other in the center of the cage.
The dystopian showdown was believed to be a first—and perhaps a last—in San Francisco. The California Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) ruled that the fight violated the state’s boxing laws and issued a cease-and-desist order to Cix Liv, CEO of Robot Entertainment Kombat (REK) and owner of the Terminator-inspired machine.
Even so, the spectacle had already gone massively viral by the time the letter was sent, just five days later.
On September 18, LaPenna—known online for his Kim Kardashian-style derriere—smiled during a photo opportunity before putting on heavy facial protection for the match, which has since been deemed illegal.
The contest pitted the 205-pound influencer against REK’s 200-pound T800-inspired robot, a machine capable of delivering a kick with a force of 850 pounds.
LaPenna won after two rounds, but not before the $100,000 robot landed several powerful strikes. At one point, it kicked him with enough force to send the 205-pound man tumbling across the ring.
While LaPenna took several seconds to rise from the floor, the robot shook out its mechanical limbs and appeared to prepare for another exchange with an almost humanlike swagger.
The robot could deliver a kick with 850 pounds of force, but LaPenna won the fight after two rounds.
The robot stood six feet tall and weighed 200 pounds.
Influencer Frankie LaPenna faced a Terminator-style robot in San Francisco on September 18.
After the bout, LaPenna acknowledged that fighting a robot was “insane.”
“Crazy timeline we are on right now,” LaPenna wrote. He had been required to sign a waiver stating that REK would not be liable if he died.
Despite the event’s success online, the DCA declared the bout unsanctioned, saying Liv had failed to obtain permission from the California State Athletic Commission, which oversees boxing matches in the state.
In the letter, which Liv shared on social media, commission Executive Officer Andy Foster warned that hosting or promoting a contest without the required licensing was a misdemeanor.
“We made it, boys,” Liv wrote in the caption accompanying his post.
“Good work, Cix, you disrupted the system,” LaPenna said on X.
Liv later told The New York Times that he considered the regulatory letter silly, arguing that “the law clearly states that a match is between two persons.”
He added that regulators might attempt to justify treating a humanoid robot as a human.
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The Athletic Commission objected to the unlicensed fight, which involved a human competitor.
Liv argued to The New York Times that the letter was silly, as the ‘law clearly states that a match is between two persons’
Five days after the fight, the California Department of Consumer Affairs sent REK’s founder Cix Liv a cease and desist, calling the fight unsanctioned
The CEO also said the company had no plans to recreate its viral success with another human-humanoid fight, and that LaPenna had been the one to reach out to them about scheduling the fight.
‘Our hope was to basically get some good shots without actually hurting Frankie,’ he told The Times.
The Athletic Commission told Our News Outlet in a statement that it stands on the fight being considered unsanctioned and it will ‘not be tolerated.’
It also said it would consider new guidance as technology evolves.
LaPenna, who fought three different robots during the fight night, said on X that the machines were ‘one firmware update away from having the strength of Francis Ngannou and the technique of Islam Makhachev.’
Ngannou is a Cameroonian boxer who is known for his impressive strength, while Makhachev is a Russian mixed martial artist who has only lost one fight.
REK has hosted several fights across the US, including in New York City, Los Angeles and Austin. It also hosted fights in Japan and Canada.
The fights, however, took place between two robots, which are operated by a human, without any human in the ring.
LaPenna said the machines were ‘one firmware update away from having the strength of Francis Ngannou and the technique of Islam Makhachev.’ Pictured L-R: Ngannou and Makhachev
Liv said LaPenna was the one who approached the company about fighting the robot
LaPenna became known for his Kim Kardashian-style derriere, which many have question if it is a prosthetic. The creator has played into the mysterious
The technology company does not have any fights currently scheduled to take place.
LaPenna first gained notoriety for posting silly videos, often of him getting hurt, and through the conversations his plump behind stirred, as many have questioned if it is a prosthetic.
The 28-year-old Michigander has 3.1 million followers on Instagram and 9.6 million on YouTube.
Our News Outlet has reached out to LaPenna, REK, and the California Department of Consumer Affairs for comment.
