China Hosts First Humanoid Robot Muay Thai Tournament

On May 25, the Chinese city of Hangzhou hosted the first Muay Thai-style combat tournament among G1 humanoid robots from Unitree Robotics.

During the Unitree Iron Fist King: Awakening event, four bots battled each other in a knockout system. They were remotely controlled but had pre-programmed behavior models such as punches, kicks, and evasions.

The robots were equipped with LiDAR sensors and depth cameras. They demonstrated strikes, combinations, and the ability to maintain balance. Teams of engineers controlled the machines via controllers or voice commands. The rules required the bots to stand up within eight seconds after falling, or face defeat.

Robotic sports are inevitable.

At NRN, we’re putting our tech where our mouth is.

And if there was ever doubt, the “Unitree Iron Fist King: Awakening” event on today should put debates to rest.

Hosted by China Media Group (CMG) in partnership with @UnitreeRobotics, the event… pic.twitter.com/8jq4oDkMki

— NRN Agents (@NRNAgents) May 26, 2025

The event was broadcast on Chinese television and resembled scenes from the film “Real Steel.”

A new match is planned for December 2025, taking into account the experience of the first fights.

Training for the fight seemingly began earlier. In May, a video surfaced online showing a Unitree H1 “attacking” engineers. It turned out the robot was in a falling state, causing it to twitch in an attempt to stabilize.

In March 2024, Unitree’s H1 android became the first robot to perform a backflip from a standing position.

In April, a humanoid robot participated in the Beijing half marathon. This marked the first time machines ran alongside humans for a distance of 21 km.

Robots Adapt to Daily Life

Another Chinese company, UBTech Robotics, plans to introduce a $20,000 humanoid robot in 2025 that will extend beyond factories to assist in homes.

The androids are positioned as companions and are intended to care for the elderly, among other tasks.

UBTech’s Brand Director Michael Tam emphasized that this is not a universal robot capable of performing a multitude of tasks. According to him, such an assistant is still many years away, as the technology is not yet ready.

UBTech previously focused on industrial clients. Now, it is targeting the consumer market alongside Tesla and other firms.

Back in March, UBTech Robotics introduced a humanoid robot priced at 299,000 yuan ($41,200).

Meanwhile, production of Tesla’s Optimus robots was disrupted due to export restrictions on rare earth metals imposed by Beijing amid escalating trade tensions with Washington.