The Ultimate Robot Knockout Legend (URKL) is going to be the world’s first humanoid robot combat league.
The 2026 competition will follow a tiered schedule throughout December and EngineAI will supply each participating team with its T800 robots free of charge, enabling them to engage in practical hands-on development.
Zhao Tongyang, Founder and CEO of EngineAI, announced at the launch event that the winning team will take home a 10kg pure gold belt worth approximately RMB 10 million ($1.44 million).
The T800 is EngineAI’s first heavy-duty, full-sized humanoid robot. Standing at 1.85 metres (6 feet 1 inch) tall and weighing 85kg (187 pounds), the T800 is built with 41 high-degree-of-freedom joints, a solid-state battery, and an aluminium alloy exoskeleton, offering robust structural integrity for heavy-load tasks. It also boasts enhanced endurance for demanding, high-load, and dynamic environments.
The T800 is equipped with a multi-sensor fusion system, which enables real-time environmental data processing and rapid decision-making. This integration boosts operational efficiency and safety, setting a new standard for humanoid robotics in industrial applications.
EngineAI positions the T800 not just as a research prototype, but as a general-purpose humanoid capable of both industrial and physical tasks, including:
- Heavy-load handling and warehouse support
- Human-robot collaboration in manufacturing
- Delivery, logistics, and service roles
More importantly, the robot can perform martial arts movements such as 360° aerial rotation and sidekicks, making it perfect for this competition.
According to Global Times, the company hopes this competition will connect Chinese culture with international pop culture and global industrial development.
In 2025, China accounted for more than 80% of humanoid robot installations worldwide (about 16,000 units globally), led by local manufacturers like AgiBot and Unitree Robotics. The global install base is forecast to exceed 100,000 units by 2027, implying rapid industry scaling.
There are now over 200 humanoid robot manufacturers in China, with the number of firms and products expanding sharply over just months in 2025.
China’s humanoid robot market was forecast to reach ~RMB 8.24 billion (~$1.12 billion) in 2025, representing a substantial share of global industry value.
