Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Christy Mack describes night MMA fighter War Machine allegedly attacked her for HBO investigation into domestic violence

Mack suffered a ruptured liver, a broken bones and lost two teeth during assault

Heather Saul
Thursday 23 July 2015 16:35 BST
Comments
Christy Mack was hospitalised by the attack
Christy Mack was hospitalised by the attack

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

The adult film actress Christy Mack has detailed the brutal assault she was allegedly subjected to by the MMA fighter War Machine in a HBO segment examining the prevalence of domestic violence in MMA.

War Machine, who legally changed his name from Jonathan Paul Koppenhaver in 2008, is awaiting trial accused of 32 charges including kidnapping, substantial bodily harm and attempted murder after allegedly attacking Mack, his ex-girlfriend, when he discovered her sleeping in the same bed as her friend Corey Thomas.

Mack, 24, told Real Sports she suffered a lacerated liver, fractured her orbital bone, lost two teeth and broke her nose during the ordeal.

War Machine, 33, broke into the room and started beating Thomas first, according to Mack’s account. Mack immediately dialled 911 and left the phone beside the bed throughout the incident. A voice can be heard screaming in disturbing footage from the disturbing call featured in the segment.

War Machine has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges. In a letter to HBO, he claimed he was defending himself against an “ambush” and should have been facing a maximum five year sentence for domestic violence battery, not 32 “bulls**t charges”. He also claimed he was being vilified because of his profession as a fighter, his name and his tattoos, writing: “This has turned into a gold mine for her. She's raised over a $100,000 for her bills, yet she has full coverage and needs no surgery. No one in this story is innocent.”

After listening to the letter being read out, Mack responded: “As for him being made out to be a villain because he has tattoos and he’s a fighter, I have tattoos and I was a porn star. What makes him more a villain than me?"

War Machine’s trial is due to start on 28 September.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in