War Machine won’t fight extradition; attorney says ‘my client is not a monster’

Fighter Jonathan Koppenhaver, a.k.a. War Machine, will be returned to Nevada in order to face charges in the alleged brutal beating of his girlfriend, Christy Mack.

The 32-year-old Koppenhaver, who was arrested on Friday in Ventura, Calif. on a felony fugitive from justice charge, signed his extradition papers in a brief hearing on Tuesday in a Ventura County courtroom and is expected to soon be returned to Nevada, where the alleged incident took place.

While Koppenhaver has not commented since his arrest, his attorney, Brandon Sua, made a statement on his behalf to Los Angeles television station KTLA.

“The hardest thing for my client is seeing the responses from the media, the public. There’s been a lot of statements on one side,” said attorney Brandon Sua told KTLA. “The media has done a good job of painting my client as a monster, but my client is not a monster. He is a good guy.”

Koppenhaver faces several charges in Clark County, including battery, assault with a deadly weapon, coercion by force and a gross and open lewdness, as a result of the alleged Aug. 8 incident which ended with the 23-year-old Mack hospitalized with horrific injuries.

The former UFC and Bellator fighter, who could spend up to 25 years in prison if convicted of the charges, did time in a Nevada jail in 2011-12 for a previous violent incident.

Fighter Jonathan Koppenhaver, a.k.a. War Machine, will be returned to Nevada in order to face charges in the alleged brutal beating of his girlfriend, Christy Mack.

The 32-year-old Koppenhaver, who was arrested on Friday in Ventura, Calif. on a felony fugitive from justice charge, signed his extradition papers in a brief hearing on Tuesday in a Ventura County courtroom and is expected to soon be returned to Nevada, where the alleged incident took place.

While Koppenhaver has not commented since his arrest, his attorney, Brandon Sua, made a statement on his behalf to Los Angeles television station KTLA.

“The hardest thing for my client is seeing the responses from the media, the public. There’s been a lot of statements on one side,” said attorney Brandon Sua told KTLA. “The media has done a good job of painting my client as a monster, but my client is not a monster. He is a good guy.”

Koppenhaver faces several charges in Clark County, including battery, assault with a deadly weapon, coercion by force and a gross and open lewdness, as a result of the alleged Aug. 8 incident which ended with the 23-year-old Mack hospitalized with horrific injuries.

The former UFC and Bellator fighter, who could spend up to 25 years in prison if convicted of the charges, did time in a Nevada jail in 2011-12 for a previous violent incident.