LOS ANGELES—The way Fox Sports puts it, MMA fighter War Machine was mouthing off on Twitter this weekend when the talk took a turn to the disturbing, with the notoriously freewheeling fighter making what might have been a joke about raping his girlfriend, adult performer Christy Mack, or maybe not joking at all. On Twitter, you really never know for sure.
According to Fox Sports's Andre Vergura, “War Machine — aka Jonathan Koppenhaver — has had more than his share of drama in his 31 years. His story involves: a rough childhood; getting kicked out of The Citadel; getting kicked out of UFC and Bellator; a short-lived porn career; and multiple arrests.
“He's been out of jail for almost a year, which is good,” added Vergura. “But he's on Twitter, which is bad. 'Cause he tweets offensive stuff almost by the minute.”
That’s a fact. Fox reprinted a few, including “the one that got him in trouble, tweeted this Saturday at 1:11 p.m., in which he writes, “Just raped @ChristyMack She tried to make me wait until "after errands" As if! =p.”
Reaction was immediate, but War Machine was not backing down, replying to one concerned tweeter, “@KirstyNOTKristy like when my GF says we can't have sex until after errands but then I take it now =].”
Ultimately, reported Fox, “His porn star girlfriend came to his defense.”
At 4:01 a.m., Mack tweeted, “To be clear, @WarMachine170 says stupid things at times; we all know this. He did not rape me, nor would he rape any woman (or man).”
MMA promoter Bellator, which currently has War Machine under contract, also weighed in, almost to the disappointment of Fox’s Vergura, who noted, “Why should he act too contrite? Bellator, which is employing him again, didn't punish him. Not even a simple fine like the one Riley Cooper got for using the N-word was announced.”
Instead, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney issued a statement that read, “While his public apology surely does not excuse his statement, it does evidence his recognition of the seriousness of the situation and his realization that what he said was offensive, ignorant and hurtful. Since the day I entered this business, I’ve believed that my job was to treat our fighters like human beings and not like property. Human beings make mistakes and sometimes say stupid things. I’m surely prepared to take action in warranted situations as evidenced by recent promotional contracts we have terminated with well-known, popular fighters who have committed assault and/or who have broken the law. But, in this situation, I remain hopeful that Jon will learn from his mistake, redeem himself and become a better man for it and I would like to give him that chance."
And then the world became a slightly less violent place, with War Machine tweeting on Tuesday, “Ahh.....Chamomile tea really helps me relax and tastes so much better than my day time green tea.”
Christy Mack, by the way, has other things to think about besides helping her mate maneuver the Twittersphere. She recently launched her official website with Puba, she can currently be seen in Pornfidelity’s three-part 500th scene, and she is also featured in Wicked Pictures director Jonathan Morgan's latest DVD, Skin Tight, which streets this week.
It’s a wonder she has any time at all to tame War Machine.
