California requires REK to stop unsanctioned human-robot combat competitions. Pure robot competitions have not been explicitly stopped.

Abstract:

The California State Athletic Commission has issued a cease and desist letter to robot fighting event organizer REK, requiring it not to hold, promote or publicize boxing or mixed martial arts events and performances involving any human participants in California without approval. This move is aimed at activities where humans and robots compete in the same field. It is not equivalent to California's total suspension of REK, nor does it explicitly prohibit robots from fighting each other.

The controversy originated from a "Human vs. Robot" competition held by REK in San Francisco on September 18. Social media influencer Frankie LaPenna wore a helmet and protective equipment and fought with several humanoid robots; the robots were controlled by operators through a remote virtual reality system. The report quoted the New York Times as saying that LaPenna injured his hand while hitting the robot's metal frame during one of the rounds. The California State Athletic Commission deemed the event a boxing or mixed martial arts event that required regulatory approval, but the event was not approved by the commission.

REK founder and CEO Cix Liv posted a cease-and-desist letter on social media on September 30 and responded with a joke, "We made it, guys." The letter requires Liv and REK to stop hosting, promoting or publicizing any boxing or mixed martial arts competitions or performances that involve humans without approval. Existing reports do not indicate that the committee has asked REK to stop all robotics competitions, or that it has issued a court injunction.

The REK website still advertises a pure robotics event in San Francisco on October 9, arranging three robot battles, including robot battles equipped with weapons; tickets are $89. Because the participants are robots rather than humans, this type of activity is different from the human participation in the events targeted by the cease and desist letter, but this does not mean that the regulator has approved it. The incident also highlights a new issue: when robots are remotely controlled by humans and humans are still participants in the ring, whether this new type of performance should be licensed and regulated according to traditional boxing or mixed martial arts rules.