Imagine a Friday night in San Francisco, not at a typical bar, but an underground boxing arena pulsating with techno music and neon lights. Here, humanoid robots trade blows, and the crowd erupts as a mechanical jab sends one contestant reeling. The referee counts it out, and the announcer’s booming voice incites chants of ‘Robot fight club! Robot fight club!’
‘It’s genuinely surreal to witness this in 2025,’ remarked Jonathan Moon, CEO of Budbreak, a company specializing in vineyard inspection robots, who found himself immersed in the spectacle. ‘It feels like something straight out of 2040.’
The audience was a fascinating mix: some in elaborate steampunk attire, others in casual retro Microsoft Windows tees, likely fresh from the office. The air thrummed with techno beats, neon signs advertised futuristic autonomous vehicles, and fake hundred-dollar bills were scattered across the ring floor.
(Image: A humanoid robot stands with its human ‘coach’ at a recent San Francisco robot boxing event.)
(Image: Event posters for ‘Ultimate Fighting Bots’ adorn the walls.)
This scene is becoming a typical Friday night in San Francisco. The city’s recent artificial intelligence boom has sparked a vibrant revival of live events and cultural experiences. As tech workers stream back into the city, they’re actively seeking unique and engaging activities to escape their screens.
Beyond robot boxing, the city hosts workshops where participants craft ‘Taser knives’ (featuring rubber blades wrapped in aluminum tape) for mock hand-to-hand combat. A recent ‘performative male contest’—a viral trend involving men with matcha, Labubu figures, and tote bags—even took place in Alamo Square, with AI acting as judge. Engineers also flock to local bars for competitive AI-themed trivia nights.
Victor Pontis, co-founder and CEO of Luma, an event-hosting platform, notes a significant increase in searches for San Francisco activities over the past year. Last month alone, the city saw almost 2,000 live events—from hackathons to dinners—nearly doubling last year’s numbers, with AI-centric gatherings quadrupling to 578.
(Image: Two robots engage in a fierce clash within the boxing cage. Enthusiastic attendees, many traveling from out of town, paid $100 for a ticket to this spectacle.)
These aren’t your typical networking events. Tech professionals are actively seeking genuine community and ways to connect beyond their professional lives. Chris Miles, a 38-year-old software engineer at AI chip startup Quadric, perfectly embodies this trend, regularly attending AI-themed trivia nights.
‘I’m keen to explore more relaxed events like this,’ shared Miles, who diligently scans Luma for new experiences, aiming to attend one each week.
(Image: Tech blogger Robert Scoble observes the robot fight night. San Francisco is experiencing a boom in live events centered around artificial intelligence and technology.)
(Image: The charismatic fight host playfully tosses fake currency at a robot vacuum adorned with a fishnet-clad leg.)
(Image: A moment of lightheartedness as someone offers a kiss for good luck at the robot fight night.)
Event organizers are struggling to keep up with overwhelming demand. For instance, SignalFire, a venture capital firm, recently hosted an AI trivia night at Standard Deviant Brewing, a venue significantly larger than their usual spot, located near OpenAI’s office. Over 600 people expressed interest, yet only half could be accommodated.
The trivia questions were perfectly tailored for the audience of predominantly software engineers, with challenges like ‘what does this code output?’ sparking enthusiastic competition.
(Image: Tech enthusiasts engage in an intense AI-themed trivia duel at Standard Deviant Brewing in San Francisco.)
(Image: Trophies gleam, awaiting the triumphant participants of the trivia night.)
(Image: The top three teams celebrate their victory at the AI-themed trivia night.)
Josh Constine, a venture partner at SignalFire, observes that if tech professionals have only a couple of hours for leisure, ‘they crave something strange and extraordinary that truly embodies the San Francisco spirit.’
Steve Jang, managing partner at Kindred Ventures, highlights San Francisco’s cyclical history of tech booms and busts, each ushering in a distinct era of social activities mirroring the prevailing technological trends.
He recalls friends gathering three decades ago during the dot-com boom to watch rudimentary robots duke it out in Fort Mason. Now, the scene is repeating itself, a phenomenon he describes as ‘rhyming with everything this city stands for.’
(Video: Vitaly and Xenia Bulatov, creators of Ultimate Fighting Bots, aimed to offer a ‘tech event that doesn’t suck,’ providing a unique experience for attendees.)
Returning to the robot boxing ring, the audience was captivated by the humanoids, roughly the size and agility of a third-grader.
Vitaly and Xenia Bulatov launched Ultimate Fighting Bots in July, seeking to deliver a ‘tech event that doesn’t suck.’ They oversee the robotics division at Frontier Tower, a 16-story tech community in San Francisco’s Mid-Market, the very location of these high-stakes robot battles.
The latest streamed event showcased six custom-programmed humanoid robots, supplied by Singapore’s FrodoBots AI, from Chinese manufacturers Unitree Robotics and Booster Robotics. Each of these fighting machines costs between $30,000 and $60,000.
Tickets, a coveted $100 a piece (allowing a plus-one), were scarce. Proceeds covered venue decorations and staff, but Mrs. Bulatov’s ultimate vision is to establish a profitable series of robot sporting events.
(Image: A robot stands poised, ready for battle at the fight night.)
(Image: One humanoid combatant was cleverly named Peuter Steel, a playful nod to the investor Peter Thiel.)
(Image: Spectators lean in, intently watching as the robots attempt to overpower each other.)
Operated by human controllers using video game pads, each robot boasts a unique backstory, name, costume, and even an exaggerated coach played by an actor. Take Googlord, a Google intern-themed humanoid in a vibrant pinwheel hat, or Peuter Steel—a witty tribute to investor Peter Thiel—decked out in a ‘CEO’ chain and a black puffer vest.
The final bout saw Peuter Steel face off against Waifu.exe, a humanoid in a dress, whose name wittily references the AI companion from Elon Musk’s xAI chatbot, Grok.
‘This is quintessentially San Francisco,’ declared Carter Crouch, a 32-year-old former Amazon data analyst who journeyed from Los Angeles just for the fight.
The Bulatovs have announced the next robot boxing match for October 3rd. Despite societal anxieties surrounding robots, Mrs. Bulatov notes that these humanoids evoke genuine emotional responses. The organizers aim to provide a space for enjoyment and to cultivate ‘real-life relationships’ through the shared experience of robotics.
‘By dressing them up and humanizing their appearance,’ she explained, ‘we engage these robots in activities that inherently resonate with people, fostering a natural connection.’
(Image: After the intense fight night, the robots are seen resting on a couch.)