In a time when mixed martial arts is truly gaining legitimacy, the sport has suffered a pair of black eyes that seem to be growing blacker by the hour. Recently two professional fighters, Josh Grispi and War Machine (formerly Jon Koppenhaver) have been alleged to unleash incredibly violent acts against women in two separate domestic violence cases that are both remarkably disturbing. Acts of violence against women is a problem for many mothers, sisters, and daughters across the world but it is a rare scenario when a professionally trained mixed martial artist unleashes an attack against a woman. In a time when women’s MMA is on the rise, I believe it is more important than ever that women stand up and unite against these cowardly attackers. I am writing this piece today because I do not want people to lose focus on this issue. It saddens me a great deal to think that two professionally trained athletes would use their skills to hurt a defenseless person, especially a person that they have very close bonds with.
On August 11, 2014 Christy Mack, the girlfriend of War Machine, posted graphic photographs of a badly swollen and bruised face that she says she suffered at the hands of War Machine. Rumors of the attack surfaced three days prior to the release of the images. Along with the images, Mack released a written account of what happened that night and how she escaped the hands of War Machine without suffering any further damage. Mack wrote that she feared for her life saying, “I believed I was going to die.” These actions, according to Mack, are not an isolated incident and War Machine has attacked her in the past, only not as severe. Situations like this are not something that any woman should have to be a part of. War Machine is hardly a stranger when it comes to running into trouble with the law and it appears as if he is going to be paying a visit to the courthouse once authorities find the fighter. There are currently seven warrants issued for the arrest of War Machine who at this time remains on the run from police.
Below you will find the Full text of the statement as prepared by Christy Mack.
At about 2am 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 unable to chew, or see out of my left eye. My speach 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 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 canceled all of my plans for the following week to make sure no one would worry about my whereabouts. He told 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 top him off. I hopped the fence to the golf course behind my house and ran 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 if now more than I can stand. There is a $10k reward for the capture of Jon Koppenhaver at this time. Please report any information to your local police.
Thank you. – Christy Mack
In an incident just a week prior to War Machine’s attack on Christy Mack, former UFC fighter Josh Grispi found himself arrested for assaulting his wife. Grispi had not been known for his out of the cage antics like War Machine so it was a bit more surprising to learn of this situation. In the recent past, Kaitlyn Grispi, the wife of Josh Grispi, filled for a restraining order against her husband. This restraining order could not stop a series of attacks that would put Kaitlyn Grispi in the hospital. Police reports have stated that Grispi attacked his wife, punching her repeatedly in the face before he eventually sicced his dog on her. Grispi had apparently trained the dog to attack his wife on command. One of the arresting officers was quoted as saying, “It’s the worst case of domestic abuse I have ever seen.” Details later surfaced from court documents that Grispi had sent a series of threatening text messages to his wife threatening to take her life. Grispi said that he would use his jiu jitsu skills to choke his wife to death. A true coward, Grispi, fled the scene but was later apprehended and charged with domestic abuse and assault.
I realize that these two situations are much bigger than MMA; I understand that domestic violence is happening all over the world. However, these two men, whether we like it or not, are representatives of MMA and it certainly casts a negative light on a sub culture that I love dearly. I hope that owners and members of MMA gyms all across the world get a chance to look at these two incidents and hopefully they can use this as a starting point for opening a dialog about domestic violence with their staff and gym members. If enough people do that, maybe a few attacks can be prevented and that can be a shining example of how we can learn and grow from such heinous incidents. In closing I would like to say, please reach out to friends and loved ones that you fear may be victims of domestic abuse. Local hotlines and crisis centers are always just one click away. If you are looking for more information please visit The National Domestic Violence Hotline website at http://www.thehotline.org/.
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