MMA fighter War Machine wanted as primary suspect in battery case
MMA fighter Jonathan Koppenhaver, known by his fighting name "War Machine," is being sought by Las Vegas police as the primary suspect in a domestic dispute that sent his "significant other" to the hospital, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
According to the New York Daily News, Koppenhaver's girlfriend Christy Mack is recovering from "severe but non-life threatening" injuries sustained in a beating on Friday, with Koppenhaver's location remaining unknown by police early Monday. Police reportedly suspect he might be headed to San Diego.
Koppenhaver was a Bellator MMA fighter, and the organization announced it is releasing him from his contract with Bellator, citing a "zero tolerance policy" relating to domestic violence.
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Koppenhaver sent out a series of tweets about the situation on Saturday and Sunday, including tweeting Mack that he is "so heartbroken" and will "always love you."
According to the Review-Journal, Koppenhaver was arrested in 2009 on a felony charge of domestic violence with strangulation, which was dismissed. He was also arrested on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence with battery, which he pleaded guilty to.
In 2011, he was the subject of a negligence lawsuit that alleged he beat up a club patron while working as a bouncer.
- Molly Geary
