War Machine Assault Trial To Begin Feb. 27

LAS VEGAS—August 15, 2014, was the day it all changed for adult performer Christy Mack. She'd been involved with MMA fighter Jonathan Koppenhaver, better known to fans as War Machine, for about a year at that point, and although he'd been physically abusive of her starting four or five months after they became involved, "by that time I was totally in love with him, so, so in love," Mack stated in an ESPN interview, that she brushed off the violence. But on that fateful day in August 2014, Mack and guy pal Corey Thomas were reportedly sleeping, fully clothed, in her home when Koppenhaver entered, accused Mack of having an affair with Thomas, and proceeded to give each of them a horrific beating, with Koppenhaver allegedly having "punched and choked Thomas before ordering him out of the house and warning him not to call the police," according to an article in the Daily Star (UK). While that was going on, Mack had secretly called 911 and hidden the phone, but by the time police arrived, Koppenhaver had reportedly fractured Mack's left eye, broken several other bones in her face, knocked out two of her teeth, lacerated her liver, broken at least two ribs and delivered serious bruising. At this point, Koppenhaver faces 35 charges, including five counts of sexual assault and two of attempted murder, stemming from allegations stretching as far back as the beginning of the pair's relationship in May of 2013. Although pretrial hearings have been happening sporadically since Koppenhaver's arrest, the most recent took place on January 5, when Mack testified in court regarding some of the details of her relationship with the fighter. Mack was asked by Koppenhaver's attorney, Brandon Sua, whether Mack had ever said to Koppenhaver the phrase "real men rape"? "That was a joke between us," the actress testified. "That was a pretty common slogan for him to say, and yes, I would repeat it back to him." Later, Sua asked whether the couple had ever indulged in "rape fantasies," to which Mack responded, "I did actually ask him to play out a rape fantasy one time but it never came to fruition," noting that even with rape fantasy play, a "very specific set of guidelines and rules would be set down and laid out before the acts are actually done, for safety reasons and consent reasons." "I wouldn’t want to have an actual rape happen," Mack stated firmly. Nonetheless, Clark County District Judge Elissa Cadish ruled that that rape discussion between the pair could be introduced at trial, despite the fact that Koppenhaver's beating of Mack almost resulted in her death. Pictured, l-r: Christy Mack before and after August 14, 2014.