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First-ever cage fight pits human fighter against 6-foot ‘Terminator’ robot

REK said the human won and plans to release more footage after the bout drew millions of views online.

  • On Friday, influencer Frankie LaPenna fought a 6-foot robot nicknamed Terminator at a REK event in San Francisco, marking the first-ever human versus robot bout using the T800 platform.
  • Robotics firm REK organized the match to showcase their technology, which allows humans to control humanoid robots in head-to-head battles, marking a shift from laboratory testing to live entertainment.
  • The robot slammed LaPenna against cage walls with forceful strikes, but REK said LaPenna "kept going" despite the intense kicks and eventually "defeated this robot."
  • Social media users speculated that "Robots and humans fighting will be a part of the UFC," while others voiced existential concerns regarding the rapid pace of AI development.
  • Tesla AI head Ashok Elluswamy noted these demonstrations are remote-controlled, emphasizing that physical robot safety standards are distinct from the challenges associated with large-scale artificial intelligence models.
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An influencer was injured in an MMA fight against a robot that resembles the “Terminator”. American influencer Frankie Lapenna decided to test his strength against the “Rekbot” of Rek Robotics, a robot that is about 1.80 meters tall, whose appearance refers to the T-800 from the famous movie “The Terminator”. The “Human vs Terminator” fight took place inside a mixed martial arts cage and was watched by several spectators. Before the start, a man…

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American influencer Frankie Lapenna, known for his social media videos and with more than 3 million followers on Instagram, climbed into an MMA cage to face a very unconventional rival: a 1.80-meter-high robot. What looked like a scene taken from a science movie ... Continue reading "The knockout who lit the networks: influencing challenged Terminator-style robot and ended up in the tarp"

·Concepción, Chile
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The return of the T-800. A humanoid robot, directly inspired by the Terminator saga, took part in a fight on September 18th in San Francisco, USA. A famous American influencer, Frankie LaPenna, was facing him in the cage. This was the first official fight between a human and a humanoid robot. The machine managed to send his opponent to the carpet after a particularly violent kick. (Sports).

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in.gr broke the news in Greece on Monday, September 21, 2026.
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