War Machine (mixed martial artist)

War Machine (born Jonathan Paul Koppenhaver, November 30, 1981) is an American former professional mixed martial artist, former pornographic actor, and convicted felon.[1][2]

For other uses, see War Machine (disambiguation).
War Machine
War Machine in 2009
BornJonathan Paul Koppenhaver
(1981-11-30) November 30, 1981
Simi Valley, California, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight170 lb (77 kg; 12 st)
DivisionWelterweight
Reach72 in (180 cm)
Fighting out ofSan Diego, California
TeamTeam Undisputed
Rankblack belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Mixed martial arts record
Total19
Wins14
By knockout8
By submission6
Losses5
By submission4
By decision1
UniversityThe Citadel
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Koppenhaver/Machine had a 14-5 overall record in mixed martial arts fighting in various MMA promotions, including Bellator and UFC, the latter for a short period. He competed in the Welterweight division. He was a fighter on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra as part of Team Serra and also competed for Bellator MMA, Tachi Palace Fights, BAMMA, and the Xtreme Fighting Championships. In 2008, he legally changed his name to "War Machine".[3] He also appeared in several pornographic films.[4]

In March 2017, he was convicted on 29 felony counts after assaulting his ex-girlfriend Christine Mackinday and her lover during an incident in 2014. On June 5, 2017 he was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 36 years.[5]

Early life

Koppenhaver was born in the Los Angeles suburb of Simi Valley, California. His German-American father was an officer for the Los Angeles Police Department, while his Mexican mother worked as a nurse and later became a work-at-home mother.[6] Due to his mother's drug addiction, Koppenhaver would often take care of his younger brother and sister.[6] When he was 13, Koppenhaver suffered a horrific trauma when he unsuccessfully performed CPR on his father after he died of a heart attack.[7]

In August 2000, Koppenhaver attended The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina for two years before being expelled for "poor behavior".[8] While attending, he majored in biology.[8] In an interview, Koppenhaver claimed that he had been earning high marks at The Citadel.[6]

Mixed martial arts career

The Ultimate Fighter Season Six

Koppenhaver was a fighter on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra, fighting on Team Serra. He was not part of the original sixteen fighters.[9] Instead, Koppenhaver was brought in as a replacement when Roman Mitichyan broke his elbow during evaluations and was sent home.[10] Koppenhaver lost by unanimous decision to Tom Speer.[11]

After a dispute with TNA Wrestling over the use of his nickname, he legally changed his name from "Jon Koppenhaver" to "War Machine" in 2008.[12]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In War Machine's official UFC debut, he defeated Jared Rollins in The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs Team Serra Finale via KO at 2:01 of the third round. War Machine and Rollins both received $25,000 due to winning fight of the night honors and War Machine winning knockout of the night. His last UFC fight was at UFC 84 against Yoshiyuki Yoshida which he lost via submission in the first round.[13]

He was released from the UFC after rejecting a fight offered by UFC matchmaker Joe Silva, and after comments made about the death of fellow UFC fighter Evan Tanner. War Machine posted on his Myspace that he believed that Tanner had gone to the isolated southern California desert to kill himself after he realized his career might have been over and had basically made no money during it. Medical examiners eventually proved that Tanner's death was not a suicide, but War Machine stood by his statements.[14]

Bellator Fighting Championships

War Machine was signed and then released by Bellator Fighting Championships. His MySpace blog cited disparaging comments about Barack Obama as the cause for his non-participation in their upcoming tournament.[15][16]

Independent promotions (2009–2011)

On June 20, 2009, War Machine was set to fight Roger Bowling.[17] They were then set to fight at XFC 9 in Tampa, Florida on September 5, where it was to be the main event and would broadcast live over HDNet.com.[18]

On September 5, 2009, War Machine stepped into the cage and faced off against Mikey Gomez. The ref stopped the fight, giving a somewhat controversial win to War Machine by TKO (punches), at 13 seconds in the third round.[19] War Machine was scheduled to fight October 3, 2009 against Jacob McClintock, but cancelled the fight so he could fight on October 8, 2009 against David Mitchell.

On April 17, 2010, he was set to face Tex Johnson in the main event of Wild Bill's Fight Night.[20] On April 16, TMZ.com reported that War Machine left a comment on his Twitter saying he would not be turning up to the event for the fight.[21]

Return to Bellator Fighting Championships

On December 7, 2011, it was announced that War Machine was re-signed to an exclusive deal with Bellator Fighting Championships and would be competing in their Season 6 Welterweight Tournament.[22] War Machine was expected to fight Karl Amoussou in the opening round of the welterweight tournament at Bellator 63. War Machine was sentenced to a year in prison for the prior assault in Las Vegas, Nevada from December 2009 and was forced out of the bout and the tournament.[23]

He was set to make his Bellator debut on January 17, 2013 against Paul Daley when he tore his ACL and broke his fibula which forced him out of the fight.[24]

War Machine faced Blas Avena at Bellator 96 on June 19, 2013.[25] He won via TKO due to punches in round one.

War Machine then took part in Bellator MMA's Season Nine Welterweight Tournament at Bellator 100 against Vaughn Anderson in the Quarterfinals.[26] He won via technical submission due to a rear naked choke in the second round.

War Machine then faced Ron Keslar on October 18, 2013 at Bellator 104 in the semifinals of the Season Nine Welterweight Tournament. He lost via technical submission due to a rear naked choke in the first round.

On August 8, 2014, Bellator MMA announced the release of War Machine after he assaulted his former girlfriend Christine Mackinday, known by her stage name Christy Mack.[27]

Adult film career

On October 31, 2009, War Machine announced that he would pursue a career in pornographic films along with fighting mixed martial arts.[4] In his announcement, War Machine revealed that he had signed with LA Direct Models and made his debut scene with pornographic actress Riley Steele.[4] Between 2009 and 2010, War Machine appeared in twelve adult films.[28] War Machine was featured in the January 2014 issue of Hustler Magazine in a nude pictorial with Christy Mack.[29]

Arrests and convictions

On September 2, 2007, he was found guilty of striking a Las Vegas man in the face and choking him unconscious during a parking lot scuffle.[30] In February 2008, he was sentenced to three years of probation and 30 days of community service, avoiding the possible felony charge and accompanying prison time.[30]

On February 22, 2008, Koppenhaver pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of assault and battery, and was fined and sentenced to probation.[31]

In August 2010, War Machine was sentenced to one year in the county jail for a felony assault conviction stemming from a fight at a Point Loma bar earlier in the year, as well as an additional fight at a Pacific Beach bar.[32][33] He was imprisoned in San Diego's George Bailey Detention Facility eventually served two years, mostly in solitary confinement.[34]

After going to jail, War Machine maintained his Twitter account as well as a blog documenting his time in jail.[35] On February 1, 2012, it was announced via War Machine's Twitter that he would be serving another year of jail time, due to preceding events. He was released on October 29, 2012.[36]

Christine Mackinday case

Sometime in April 2013, Koppenhaver began dating adult film actress Christine Mackinday, better known by her stage name Christy Mack. Mackinday, nearly 10 years Koppenhaver's junior was a leading figure in the adult film industry at the time. Their relationship, as described by Mackinday, was passionate, but she also described Koppenhaver as physically and mentally abusive, and controlling. The abuse got to a point where Mack ended their relationship in May 2014.

On August 8, 2014, War Machine assaulted Mackinday and her associate Corey Thomas in Mack's Las Vegas home. Mackinday was hospitalized, where it was found that she suffered from 18 broken bones, a broken nose, 12 missing teeth, a fractured rib and a ruptured liver.[37] War Machine had been in a relationship with Mackinday the previous year.[38][39] According to Mackinday, War Machine also attempted to rape her.[40] On August 15, War Machine was arrested in Simi Valley, California, by U.S. Marshals and Simi Valley police, and was then extradited to Nevada.[41]

According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, War Machine was found unresponsive in his cell on October 14, 2014 at around 9:30 p.m.[42] by a corrections officer conducting routine checks in the cells. The cell officer found War Machine struggling to breathe, with a torn piece of linen around his neck that was tied to the leg of his bunk bed. After the officer cut the linen, War Machine's vitals stabilized within 15 minutes, and he was moved to a medical ward, where he was placed on suicide watch. In a suicide note found in his cell, he quoted philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche twice to explain his actions.[43] The incident occurred on the same day he was supposed to appear in court to discuss a plea deal.[44][45]

His trial, originally scheduled for September 2015, was postponed twice before beginning in February 2017.[46][47][48] On March 20, 2017, he was convicted on 29 felony counts, including kidnapping and sexual assault with a weapon, for which he faced life in prison. The jury deadlocked on two counts of attempted murder.[49] War Machine was represented by Jay Leiderman and Brandon Sua.[50] On June 5, 2017, War Machine was sentenced to an aggregate sentence of life in prison with possibility of parole after 36 years has been served.[51]

War Machine maintained a prison blog[52] during his first conviction with the assistance of a friend who typed out handwritten notes provided by War Machine.

Post-conviction personal life

On July 20, 2018, it was revealed that War Machine had been engaged to Ashley Farrington. They first became acquainted with each other when she started writing to him in prison as his pen pal.[53] On August 9, 2019, War Machine married Farrington. As conjugal visits are not allowed in the state of Nevada, they instead shared hugs. The bride brought her young son to the ceremony, which lasted 4 hours.[54]

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
19 matches 14 wins 5 losses
By knockout 8 0
By submission 6 4
By decision 0 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 14–5 Ron Keslar Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) Bellator 104 October 18, 2013 1 3:31 Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States Bellator Season Nine Welterweight Tournament Semifinal.
Win 14–4 Vaughn Anderson Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) Bellator 100 September 20, 2013 2 4:01 Phoenix, Arizona, United States Bellator Season Nine Welterweight Tournament Quarterfinal.
Win 13–4 Blas Avena TKO (punches) Bellator 96 June 19, 2013 1 3:55 Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States
Win 12–4 Roger Huerta TKO (punches) UWF 1: Huerta vs. War Machine November 26, 2011 3 3:09 Pharr, Texas, United States
Loss 11–4 John Alessio Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) TPF 5: Stars and Strikes July 9, 2010 3 2:24 Lemoore, California, United States
Win 11–3 Zach Light Submission (rear-naked choke) BAMMA 3 May 15, 2010 1 1:09 Birmingham, England, United Kingdom
Loss 10–3 David Mitchell Decision (split) TPF 1: Tachi Palace Fights 1 October 8, 2009 3 5:00 Lemoore, California, United States
Win 10–2 Mikey Gomez TKO (strikes) XFC 9: Evolution September 5, 2009 3 0:13 Tampa, Florida, United States
Win 9–2 Erick Montano Submission (armbar) Total Combat 33 July 11, 2009 3 0:47 Mexico City, Mexico
Win 8–2 Tim Woods Submission (rear-naked choke) UWC 6: Capital Punishment April 25, 2009 2 4:16 Fairfax, Virginia, United States
Win 7–2 Guillaume DeLorenzi Submission (rear-naked choke) XMMA 7: Inferno February 27, 2009 1 4:13 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Win 6–2 David Anderson KO (punches) Desert Rage 4 November 8, 2008 1 2:26 Yuma, Arizona, United States
Loss 5–2 Yoshiyuki Yoshida Technical Submission (anaconda choke) UFC 84 May 24, 2008 1 0:56 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 5–1 Jared Rollins KO (punches) The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale December 8, 2007 3 2:01 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Knockout of the Night. Fight of the Night.
Win 4–1 RJ Gamez TKO (strikes) Total Combat 16: Annihilation September 9, 2006 1 2:09 San Diego, California, United States
Loss 3–1 Mike O'Donnell Submission (armbar) GFC: Team Gracie vs Team Hammer House March 3, 2006 2 4:02 Columbus, Ohio, United States
Win 3–0 Andrew Ramirez TKO (corner stoppage) Total Combat 9 July 30, 2005 1 N/A Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Win 2–0 Frank Duffy Submission (rear-naked choke) Total Combat 4 July 25, 2004 1 N/A Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Win 1–0 Angel Santibanez TKO (punch) Total Combat 2 February 29, 2004 1 1:00 Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

Championships and accomplishments

References
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  2. "Mixed Martial Arts Show Results" (PDF). Nevada Athletic Commission. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
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  4. "War Machine has left MMA, dude's a pornstar now". Middle Easy. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
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  53. "War Machine Engaged To Pen Pal... Sorry, No Conjugal Visits".
  54. https://www.tmz.com/2019/08/15/war-machine-wedding-photos-prison-pen-pal-married/

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