REK's human-robot fight drew 8 million YouTube views before California cease-and-desist

The human-versus-robot fight took place on September 18 in San Francisco, with LaPenna facing three different robots across multiple rounds. In the first bout, LaPenna quickly defeated a smaller machine. The second pitted him against the 1.8-meter humanoid, which delivered a powerful kick that sent LaPenna into the cage wall despite his protective gear. LaPenna recovered and pushed the larger robot down to win the round.

In the third bout against a faster "Predator" robot, LaPenna said the machine's continuous attacks and apparent lack of fatigue wore him down, and he lost the round. Video of the fights accumulated over 8 million views on YouTube and drew criticism online.

REK received the cease-and-desist from California authorities on September 30, citing "unapproved human-versus-humanoid-robot cage fights." REK chief executive Syx Leef stated on social media that the law defines boxing matches as occurring between "two persons" as legally defined, implying ambiguity about whether human-robot bouts fall under current regulations. No explicit federal or California law currently prohibits human-machine fighting, but the dispute centers on whether such contests require state approval and licensing.

REK's website still lists an October 9 event in San Francisco called "REK Death Match," though it is unclear whether it will feature human-robot combat or robot-only fights. The company is based in San Francisco and has announced planned events across multiple US cities and internationally in Tokyo and Vancouver.