Man takes on ‘Terminator’ robot in historic fight – and it’s as brutal as you’d expect

| Live News Reporter Published September 22, 2026 9:47am Updated September 22, 2026 9:47am To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video American influencer Frankie Lapenna decided to go against a humanoid android robot during an MMA fight. Believed to be a world first, Lapenna entered the ring against a Rek Robotics ‘Rekbot’, which has been compared to a T-800 from ‘The Terminator’. Rek Robotics wrote on X: ‘We just made history with the first Human VS Terminator robot fight. Frankie LaPenna gave it his all.’ Footage from the clip showed the large robot pumping its ‘fists’, with glaring red eyes and a skull-like head attachment. The android even ‘stretched’ before beginning to throw punches. Lepenna put up a good fight, getting a few rounds in before the robot’s roundhouse kicked him to the ground. The terrifying robot had a skull and moving eyes (Picture: Rek Robotics) Footage of the fight has already been compared to scenes from ‘The Terminator’. One person wrote: ‘Humans are cooked.’ It was later revealed that the robot was being controlled by a human, but the fight has many people questioning what could become a reality in years to come – humans versus robots. Recent footage of Chinese humanoid robots sparked fears that humanoids could be the future of global military conflicts. Metro previously spoke to leading war experts about the role humanoid robots could play in future battlefields or whether they’ll remain a dystopian fantasy. The human opponent was no match for the humanoid (Picture: Rek Robotics) Dr James Pritchett, a War Studies Lecturer at Hull University, told Metro: ‘In the West, we have become very casualty-averse. We don’t like to take risks. ‘Robots are a great alternative to that. You can send a machine to do a person’s job.’ But China accounted for around 90% of all humanoid robots sold last year and is home to more than 451,000 companies involved in intelligent robotics. Two of the leading humanoid companies sold a combined 10,000 robots last year, whereas Elon Musk’s Tesla has built just 150 humanoids. The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has also been developing its own robotic systems. Early last year, they conducted a trial using robot dogs to defuse explosives. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page. Arrow MORE: JD Vance has a tumbleweed moment after bizarre joke falls flat during speech Arrow MORE: Trump filmed ‘yelling into the void’ after media ban spectacularly backfires Arrow MORE: Prison officer held in her own jail after allegedly smuggling home-cooked meals to inmates News Updates Stay on top of the headlines with daily email updates.