War Machine
Perhaps the most horrifying and certainly the most headline-grabbing case of domestic violence in MMA history occurred back in August of 2014 when ex-UFC fighter War Machine, aka John Koppenhaver, brutally beat his on-again-off-again girlfriend Christy Mack and another man, Corey Thomas.
Koppenhaver had showed up at the porn star’s apartment uninvited only to discover her in bed asleep with Thomas.
Koppenhaver flew into a rage, initially targetting Thomas, who he beat up and choked, leaving him with a broken nose, dislocated shoulder, bruises and bite marks.
Thomas then left and Koppenhaver turned his attention to Mack, who was then, in her own words, “punched and kicked, smothered and bitten, raped and tortured,” by him in a terrifying two-hour attack, before he told her he’d have to kill her.
Mack was then able to flee after Koppenhaver went looking for a knife which she believes he intended to use to kill her.
Mack was left with devastating injuries, including a broken nose, fractured orbital bone and rib, a severely lacerated liver and multiple missing teeth.
Koppenhaver went on the run afterwards, but he was hunted down a week later and after spending several years behind bars awaiting a trial was finally sentenced to life in prison with possibility of parole after 35-years for 29 felony counts including battery, sexual assault and kidnapping. The jury were however deadlocked on two counts of attempted murder.
