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The bout took place in San Francisco, U.S., on Sept. 18, pitting LaPenna against a T800 humanoid robot developed by Shenzhen-based EngineAI, according to event organizer Robot Entertainment Kombat (REK).
"For the first time in history, a human faces off against a six-foot-tall robot," an announcer exclaims in the video.
"Dude, I’m scared for you man," one of the match officials tells LaPenna with a laugh.
Footage posted by REK on X shows LaPenna wearing protective gear and boxing gloves as he exchanges blows with the robot inside a fighting cage.
LaPenna initially lands several punches before the robot responds with a series of kicks. One sends him backward before a jumping kick to his torso knocks him to the floor.
The widely circulated clip ends shortly afterward, with LaPenna still down and the robot standing nearby.
In a reply on X, REK said LaPenna "kept going" and "defeated this robot," adding that more footage from the fight would be released.
REK later revealed that the robot was controlled by a human rather than fighting autonomously.
American YouTuber Frankie LaPenna in a fight with a humanoid robot. Video from REK's X
The T800 was developed by EngineAI, a robotics company based in Shenzhen, southern China. The humanoid stands 1.73 meters tall and weighs 75-85 kilograms, and is designed to perform movements including running, jumping, kicking and recovering from falls.
In a demonstration video last year, the robot sparred with the company's founder and knocked him down with a kick, according to Chinese broadcaster CGTN.
For the San Francisco fight, the humanoid was fitted with a head resembling the T-800 cyborg from the "Terminator" film franchise.
LaPenna, 28, is an American content creator known for comedy and stunt videos, with more than 18 million followers across YouTube and TikTok.
REK stages combat events involving remotely controlled humanoid robots and has previously organized robot-versus-robot matches. The LaPenna bout marked its first public matchup between a human and one of the machines.
