Last month, I wrote about former MMA fighter War Machine nearly killing his girlfriend, Christy Mack. Not much in the way of detail about the night in question has surfaced since then. The MMA fighter formerly known as Jonathan Koppenhaver (yes, War Machine is now his legal name) maintains that he walked in on Ms. Mack nude with another man. Mack says they were fully clothed and making nice. In either scenario, the proper response wasn’t overwhelming violence, the path that War Machine took . . .

After a short manhunt, he’s now been booked in Las Vegas and charged with 32 felonies. ESPN gives a summary of the progress in his case so far.

Koppenhaver, 32, faces charges of attempted murder, domestic battery by strangulation, first-degree kidnapping and sexual assault, stemming from an alleged incident involving his ex-girlfriend and adult film actress Christy Mack on Aug. 8 at Mack’s Las Vegas residence. The professional mixed martial artist faces the possibility of life in prison.

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled on Oct. 17. Koppenhaver was extradited to Las Vegas from Ventura County, California, on Aug. 30 after he was arrested in a Los Angeles suburb.

Here’s hoping that the justice system works as designed in this case. As I said in my original article, this should have been a defensive gun use through and through. From Ms. Mack’s original accounting of the events, she had multiple opportunities to retrieve a firearm, a fact that surely has RF pounding his “home carry” drum loud and clear. Ms. Mack is blessed to be alive given that her former lover is for all intents, a walking murder weapon. Home carry, folks.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

80 COMMENTS

  1. It is truly a shame she didn’t have the means to properly defend herself during the attack. That would have sent a helluva message during the time when all that “anti-gun domestic violence” stuff was being thrown about.

    • It just would not have been reported on.

      Plenty of dgus happen every week. They just don’t get air time.

  2. I just wanted to introduce myself. I’ve been reading this site for about a year and just purchased an XDs and got a CCL in Cobb Co Georgia. I was what you refer to as an anti my whole life, a product of liberal parenting… But recently a friend told me about this website and I read through the information about gun statistics. Just wanted to say that this site is well put together and anyone with a brain that reads it can’t help but be swayed.

        • I spoke to the man who runs the organization in my capacity at work, but have not joined up. However, it’s on my list. Coincidentally I just got my NRA card in the mail today, first time member!

    • So UnknownError, what caused you to come to reject the dark side and vote for freedom?

      For me, I was also very much a product of a liberal/progressive upbringing. It was after a human predator tried to mug me, and I saw that being defenseless didn’t protect, it just made me vulnerable to attack. This is when I decided that carrying a weapon would be the best way to deter any future attack, and it has now for almost seventeen years.

      • Thanks for all the nice comments BTW –

        I have a son who was born about six months before Newtown, and afterward I got to thinking that you can’t trust anyone but yourself to protect your family. I never really thought about guns beyond “they kill people.” A friend of mine is a good arguer, and I couldn’t seem to convince him that he was wrong about guns and I was right… So I guess I just started reading other people’s opinions and reading this website and decided that I really had no idea what I was talking about.

        You can’t legislate madness away, but you sure can protect your self from it.

        • UnknownError,

          I hear you. I was a product of left upbringing and fancied myself a morally superior pacifist until my daughter was born. When I held this tiny helpless baby, I had a revelation: I would kill to protect her if I had to. This shifted my moral universe and gave me a much needed lesson in humility.

          Props to you, brother.

      • Yeah MGS is amazing – One of the best of all time. I still want a SOCOM MK23 just to say I own Snake’s gun.

    • Great to have you! Everyone has, at some point, firmly held a belief they later came to reject. It’ll take a little time to feel your way around unfamiliar logic. Don’t be discouraged. There are many, many “regulars” here who started just where you are. Eventually you’ll be comfortable enough to call out the big cheese, RF, when he’s wrong about things, like his LEO hate and his growing affinity for James Yaeger.

      • Haha – Yeah, I’ve been hiding in the corner for a while, just reading what people have to say. But Now that I EDC a 9mm and I’m an NRA member I feel like I can speak up without sounding like a noob. I really can’t say why I didn’t realize it earlier… I remember (cringe) making the argument that no one “needs” a gun, and being thoroughly convinced of it. For some reason I thought it was my solemn duty to decide what everyone else needs. Oh well, as you say, “unfamiliar logic.”

    • Welcome aboard! Your care package will be mailed to you next week.

      Oh, and if you’re not old and fat, I would start working on that ASAP.

      We have a reputation to uphold.

    • I am guessing you are not native to GA so I welcome you to the Red State and to TTAG. I am a recent CCW holder as well so it will be nice having you join the conversation.

      • Thanks – I’m from Ohio but have lived in Jacksonville FL, Pittsburgh and in Cobb Co for work in my adult life. LOVE Georgia. After coming from a backward state like PA this is like paradise. I’m sure there are problems here too but laws make a lot more sense here, and taxes aren’t as insane like in PA and OH.

        • I only found that out after they told me at Adventure Outdoors. I’ve only been in Cobb (Acworth) for about 6 months. I’m thinking a Glock 37 may be my next purchase, or an XDm. Haven’t decided yet.

        • Check out GA firing line on Canton Rd. It’s not far from you. They have a rifle range as well. If you head to adventure outdoors, ask for jack. He’s a friend of mine and will definitely help you out.

        • dkfireblade: Thanks, and I will check them out. Didn’t know about GA Firing Line but googled their store and it looks like it’s very close to me. Can you email me some info on any upcoming GCO meets? I’m at WHKRadio (AT) Gmail.com – Like I said above, they’re on my list of things to join so I’m definitely interested. Will probably join at the end of this week, but couldn’t find the info on meets on their website. Maybe I’m just looking in the wrong places?

    • As a fellow Cobb co resident, welcome! GCO is a great group to be a part of. Let me know if you have any questions or want to come out to a GCO event. My restaurant is a GCO sponsor and we host events for them. Great time to be introduced to what we are all about.

  3. Strap him down and through the switch, if this is proven to be the case. OK with that said, isn’t he going to feel like an ass when he is i don’t know 60 or so and trying to explain to people is own age why is name is war machine? What a clown.

    • You know, we used to outsource this kind of thing. But what we found was the countries we outsourced to had unreliable power grids. Very Third World. You’d turn on a switch – power wouldn’t come on, and then tempers would get short. People would resort to pulling fingernails. Acid drips on bare skin. The whole exercise would become counterproductive. But here, the power’s stable. Here, there’s a nice even flow. Here, you can flip a switch and the power stays on all day. Where is she?

  5. Wanna watch a creepy interview with these two?

    Scroll down and watch the first video on that page.

    http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2014/8/13/5998939/war-machine-assault-christy-mack-jon-koppenhaver-mma-corey-thomas-update

    If that “how we met” story and the background to it is true, very creepy vibe all around.

    Talking about the neck tattoo, we have this exchange (5:35):

    Interview: And, if things don’t work out for God forbid any reason, you can just say you’re a Mack, like you’re a Mack Daddy.

    Koppenhaver: Yeah. Well, I just told her what I would do is I would kill her and then I’ll put “Rest in Peace.”

    Mack: It’s fair enough, really.

    Koppenhaver: I’ll put “Rest in Peace” Mack….{and some other stuff related to his “dead girlfriend”)

    Mack: And honestly, I’d probably deserve it.

    How much of all that is an act? How much is young folks living a bit wild? How much of it is dysfunction on display? I think it made the interviewer a bit uncomfortable.

    Just kind of found the whole thing creepy, especially with the hindsight of what ultimately happened.

    • Tried to, but couldn’t watch it…the amount of stupidity was astounding. Hers was slightly more tolerable only because she’s pretty 🙂

      • Hopefully she will still be pretty after she heals. Hopefully the twit that beat her will be perceived as “pretty” when he gets to prison. I don’t care how much of a badass he is, when 4 or 5 guys hold him down for some prison loving, his martial arts skills won’t do him any good.

    • I sat through 20 minutes of that interview. I felt my IQ drop the same number of points. Neither of them are the sharpest tools in the shed.

  6. she must not have a father, uncles, brothers or male cousins. . . . sorry, but if a female relative of mine were attacked like that, the guy would want to hide in another country. . . . if I didn’t take him out, it is amazing what prison guards, prisoners, and others will do for $$. this guy should get shanked in the shower. . . .

    • I saw some photo of her the other day and she had a tattoo that said “Property of War Machine.”

      I thought that explained a lot.

      She was real stupid for messing around with that kind of scumbag.

      Apparently what attracted her to him was the fact that he was nuts and could kill people with his bare hands. That is a double edged sword, if you were going to seek revenge on a dude like that I would bring a 12 gauge.

      He will probably do well for himself in prison, it is a damn shame he didn’t die resisting.

      • believe it or not, there are actually guys in prison that will want to take him out just for street cred. If the guards have any sense of humor, they will leave some cell doors open and allow the Aryan Brotherhood to mix with the Black Muslins and this idiot in the middle.

        • I remember everyone saying that about Mike Tyson, too, back in the day. Either he had some real street fighting savvy in him, as opposed to just the athleticism of the rules-based sport that is professional boxing, or else some of that is just hype.

    • It’s probably a father, brother or uncle who conditioned her to be attracted to someone so chaotic and abusive.

  8. I had a roommate that was in love with her. And yes she does live on the wild side. From what I understand, significant-other abuse is very common among women in both their chosen professions. How is it RF usually puts it? ” Don’t do stupid people in stupid places…” Or something like that.

    • There are so many mistakes on both of their parts that go on for years and years that I’m having a hard time seeing how a gun would have helped. In the same way that a gun is not an evil talisman, transforming all who posess it into thugs and killers, so a gun is not a good talisman, transforming all who posess it into paragons of reaponsibility and virtue.

      I’m praying that God will use this very evil situation for good in both of their lives.

    • A good many of them are actually very bright, and savvy. That business will either make you grow up quick, or chew you up and spit you out. Read “How to Make Love Like a Porn Star” by Jenna Jamison. She is one shrewd business woman.

  10. My question is why the hell would he would get with a porn star in the first place? This is a woman who makes a career our of nudity and sex! What was he expecting her to be someone with morals of any kind? I can’t say she did or didn’t cheat on him but Who in there right mind picks a porn star to be in a serious relationship? Most relationships involving porn stars end badly… period!

    • According to their own “how we met” story, if you choose to believe it, he essentially ‘stalked’ her on Twitter for several months. They actually met when he finagled a photoshoot with her.

      So, if that’s to be believed, he sought her out specifically knowing who she was and what she did for a living.

      I don’t know…I find the whole thing very, very sad. Sad that people do all of this with their lives and of course sad at the outcome. What a mess.

    • Oh my God, not nudity and sex! What a whore she must be! Clearly she deserved her fate, as do all woman who choose not to wear a Burka!

      • One who has sexual intercourse for money is the definition of a prostitute. So, yeah. Technically speaking that’s what she is. Porn star is a genre of whore.

        • Perfectly acceptable vocation, IMHO. Have known quite a few, some of them very nice girls. For some reason you sound like there is something wrong with a woman earning an honest living.

      • Sure, because the only other option other than absolute sexual license is sharia law.

        Any other false choices for us?

      • No one is saying she deserves anything due to the age of her profession. There is something not right with a woman who falls for her stalker, there is something not right with a woman who says she’d deserve to be killed by her boyfriend for breaking up. I have friends in the adult industry, I don’t necessarily agree with the entirety of their stance on sex, I think some of what they do (or have done in the past) is even immoral, but that is not the same as thinking they deserve to be beaten nearly to death and I don’t believe anyone else here has expressed that belief.

        As far as I’m concerned Ms. Mack is on par with the woman who kept a pet chimpanzee that ripped her face off. She didn’t deserve it, but it wasn’t hard to see coming.

        • “There is something not right with a woman who falls for her stalker”
          Actually, that would likely be a natural step for her. You can’t be in that business and not enjoy the attention. Stalkers are the ultimate attention givers, albeit dangerously obsessive…as she discovered.

    • I’m sorry, but are you asking why someone who had their name legally changed to “War Machine” wanted to “get with” a porn star in the first place? Perhaps your reasoning and critical thinking skills are not as up to snuff as you’d have us believe.

      And what does that have to do at all with whether he beat the crap out of her?

  11. Holy crap that guy is messed up. Watch that video interview posted above. He beat himself up (pounded his own face until he had black eyes) because Christy’s stalkers were jealous and decided to prank him. He made several references to beating people up and even talked about beating her up and joking about killing her. That dude is nuts. So many clues in that short interview…

  14. Self defense tip: if you’re making a move on a tattooed hottie porn star, and she mentions that her boyfriend is the MMA fighter War Machine, then desist immediately and try your chances on the next lady. There are plenty of women in this world, and those dating mentally unstable MMA fighters are best left alone.

  15. She’d never have pulled the trigger on the asshole, regardless.

    My bet? She’s back w/him in 6 months if he stays out of jail. Maybe even if he’s in jail.

    Anyone want to match my $1.00 USD?

    • That may very well be. I haven’t heard anything from her since the incident. Mostly a few folks accusing her of ‘mud ducking’ around and that she deserved it, but nothing from her. That whole group is a special brand of crazy.

      • Ray Rice’s GF still married him after he knocked her out cold in a elevator.

        Whether she stays w/ him now that the money train has left the station is a whole ‘nother question.

  16. So I’m guessing WM’s problem was that she wasn’t getting paid for this particular liaison?

    Whatever. Lock him up. She’ll be on to her next great life decision next but we don’t need knuckle draggers like him walking around. Of course “we” are the ones that built him into who he is…

  17. Clearly when you consider her occupation, two things come to mind: One she does not do a good job of evaluating the risks to life and health her behaviors put her at risk of, or she likes the thrill of danger. One other thought, even if naked this could have been a job interview.

  18. Nimrod hooks up with a porn star and acts surprised AND angry when she does what she does best….schtup another dude. Guy’s not just violent….he’s stupid also. I’m not a big fan of giving females a pass when they cheat on a guy but this was one of those cases where ANYONE could have predicted it WAS going to happen.

    • … and funnily enough … when I made the comment that “who could have predicated that a love affair between an professional MMA fighter & professional porn star would turn out this way?” three weeks ago, it prompted 75 replies about what an insensitive jerk I am.

      This crowd is very inconsistent.

      • I remember that. I think I was the first to defend your comment. I think like many online discussions, people tend to get combative even with people they agree with. It is like they don’t want to be right as much as they want to win a debate or they want to get credit for the overwhelming sentiment. I try to be consistent and I try to give credit where it is due. Whenever I am called a hypocritical asshole, I staunchly declare that I am no hypocrite. I also try to read all the comments to avoid parroting something that was said. I may comment on the same side of an issue as others have but nearly word for word repeats bog down the flow of ideas. Caption contests are the worst. I don’t understand someone repeating a joke that wasn’t clever or funny the first 12 times it was said. Well that’s life on the interwebs.

        • Actually sometimes I make myself a bit of a target since I always to seem to be on the “wrong side” of every debate. 😉

          It probably has a lot to do w/ being a hard-right Libertarian who is not religious and a woman who is anti-Feminism. Throw a few red pills in there & it’s guaranteed I’m gonna voice the opinion no one wants to hear!

          Thanks for your support, much appreciated.

  19. Between her and the Hayden girl (first name slips my mind at the moment) there’s been plenty of cynicism here, but how long till she’s on Dr. Phil too?

  20. when they hit 50 those tats are gonna smear like a bird bomb on a windshield.. War machine will want a different name .. poor guy will be the target of every up and coming bad ass 30 yrs younger then him… talk about planning for the future.

  21. Here’s the statement that Christy Mack put out on her Twitter feed describing the incident (released prior to his capture):

    At around 2 am Friday morning, Jon Koppenhaver arrived unannounced to my home in Las Vegas, NV, after he broke up with me in May, he moved out of my house and back to San Diego. When he arrived, he found myself and one other fully clothed and unarmed in the house. Without a single word spoken, he began beating my friend; once he was finished, he sent my friend away and turned his attention to me. He made me undress and shower in front of him, then dragged me out and beat my face. I have no recollection of how many times I was hit, I just know my injuries that resulted from my beating.

    My injuries include 18 broken bones around my eyes, my nose is broken in 2 places, I am missing teeth and several more are broken. I am unable to chew, or see out of my left eye. My speech is slurred from my swelling and lack of teeth. I have a fractured rib and severely ruptured liver from a kick to my side. My leg is so badly injured I have not been able to walk on my own. I also attained several lesions from a knife he got from my kitchen. He pushed the knife into me in some areas such as my hand, ear, and head. He also sawed much of my hair off with this dull knife. After some time, the knife broke off of the handle and continued to threaten me with the blade. I believed I was going to die. He has beaten me many times before, but never this badly.

    He took my phone and cancelled all of my plans for the following week to make sure no one would worry about my whereabouts. He told me he was going to rape me, but was disappointed in himself when he could not get hard. After another hit or two, he left me on the floor bleeding and shaking, holding my side from the pain of my rib. He left the room and went to the kitchen where I could hear him ruffling through my drawers. Assuming he was finding a sharper, more stable knife to end my life, I ran out my back door, shutting it behind me so the dogs didn’t run inside to tip him off. I hopped the fence to the golf course behind my house and ran to a neighboring house. Naked and afraid he would catch me, I kept running through the neighborhood knocking on doors. Finally, one answered and I was brought to the hospital and treated for my injuries.

    I would like to thank everyone for their support through this rough time. I am healing fast and well, and I appreciate all of the prayers and visits I have received over the past few days. After many months of fear and pressure to keep this man happy, although I fear for my life, I feel that I can no longer put myself in this situation. The cheating by him nearly every day, and almost weekly abuse is now more than I can stand. There is a $10k reward for the capture of Jonathan Koppenhaver at this time. Please report any information to your local police.

    Thank you.

    -Christy Mack

  22. I have followed War Machine since his stint on The Ultimate Fighter. Initially I liked the guy, he was pretty passionate about fighting but you could see he had some screws loose, deeply emotional (I think he lost his father at a young age).

    After a while he just turned into an animal. Arrested and convicted in a few assaults, did some jail time. I have to admit, I enjoyed his blogs from jail but its clear now this guy cannot be on the streets. He’s a danger to society.

  23. I’ll never be able to understand that, regardless of what she may have done, how a man can raise his hand to a woman… Under NO circumstances could I ever raise my hand to my wife. There is no situation I could find her in, nothing, where I could do that. Absolutely none. It bewilders me how so many men find it acceptable and worse, how some of the women in those situations accept it.

  25. His defense is that he walked in on his wife, an adult film actress, naked with another man…

    :/

    Does he not understand what porn stars do?

Comments are closed.