Former Bellator MMA and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight Jon Koppenhaver was back in Clark County court on Tuesday (March 6, 2017) as part of the opening statements in his attempted murder trial.
Koppenhaver, 35, was hit with 34 felony charges in the wake of his alleged beating of ex-girlfriend Christy Mack and then-boyfriend Corey Thomas, who both sustained major injuries during the 2014 altercation.
See the graphic photos here.
“This is it, I’ve got to kill you now,” is one of the last things the fighter legally known as “War Machine” told Mack, according to the prosecution, which also played the 911 call from Mack’s Las Vegas residence.
A call that came after police hung up on a concerned neighbor.
Thomas was a part of the day one proceedings, recounting the attack that left him with a broken nose. “It was an immediate barrage in the face with his knuckles,” the former VH1 reality star said. “10-15 good, fast, quick hits. I started to cover my face as fast as possible.”
Watch video of his testimony here:
No laughing matter.
“War Machine” quickly fled the scene but was later apprehended by U.S. Marshals in Simi Valley, California. The following two years produced several delays in his case -- as well as several highly publicized antics (like this and this) — before getting to this weeks opening statements.
Koppenhaver, who rejected a plea deal, faces life in prison.
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