War Machine on the loose

Police across the Southwest are still on the hunt for Jonathan "War Machine" Koppenhaver, a San Diego–based mixed martial artist accused of assaulting his supposed porn-star ex-girlfriend and a companion in Las Vegas early Friday morning, August 8.

According to a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Las Vegas police Lt. Ted Glaud said it was suspected that Koppenhaver was headed back to San Diego after an apparent attempt to win back former lover and porn star Christy Mack.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/las-vegas/police-seek-mma-fighter-battery-case

Mack posted her version of the story to Twitter, along with photos of her being treated in a Las Vegas hospital:

“At about 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 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.”

Mack says her injuries include 18 broken facial bones, a nose broken in two places, missing and broken teeth that have left her unable to speak, a fractured rib, ruptured liver, and loss of sight in her left eye.

For his part, Koppenhaver has also taken to Twitter, posting numerous statements in his defense while on the lam.

"I'm not a bad guy, I went to surprise my gf, help her set up her show and to give her an engagement ring and ended up fighting for my life," reads the second-to-last update posted to Koppenhaver's account, posted on August 10.

Some question exists as to the couple's relationship, as Koppenhaver has repeatedly referred to Mack as his girlfriend on Twitter; on August 6, Mack retweeted an altered image posted by Koppenhaver apparently featuring the pair engaged in an explicit act.

Allegations of violence have plagued Koppenhaver in the past. Recent tweets before the Las Vegas incident seem to mockingly recount an altercation he initiated with a UPS driver, and Mack had publicly complained of physical violence from Koppenhaver in November 2013. In 2010, he was sentenced to a year in county jail following charges stemming from bar fights in Point Loma and Pacific Beach.

After being expelled by the top-tier fight organization Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2008 for making disparaging remarks surrounding the death of another fighter, Koppenhaver signed with Bellator Fighting Championships, which released him following a MySpace comment stating his hopes that "someone smokes that expletive and every president to come." He was eventually picked up again by Bellator but was once cut this past weekend following the assault report.

Once he is located, Koppenhaver will face multiple assault charges.