Fighter 'War Machine' sent to Nevada to face assault charges

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - The professional fighter known as "War Machine" was in custody in a Las Vegas jail on Saturday after being transferred from Southern California, where he was arrested for assault stemming from an ex-girlfriend's accusation that he beat her in Nevada. Jonathan Koppenhaver, an Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor, was released from jail in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles, on Wednesday to be transported to Nevada, said Captain Don Aguilar, a spokesman for the Ventura County Sheriff's Office. Koppenhaver, 32, was in custody on charges including battery resulting in substantial harm, battery by strangulation and assault with a deadly weapon, according to the website for the Clark County detention center in Las Vegas. His ex-girlfriend, adult film actress Christy Mack, said on Twitter earlier this month she had suffered 18 broken facial bones, a broken nose and rib and a ruptured liver when "War Machine" attacked her and a man at her home. A Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department arrest warrant named Koppenhaver as the prime suspect in the Aug. 8 assault against two people at a Las Vegas residence. It did not identify the alleged victims by name. The mixed martial arts fighter was arrested on Aug. 15 at a hotel in the Los Angeles suburb of Simi Valley. Koppenhaver had taken to social media to respond to the allegations before his arrest, writing on Twitter: "The cops will never give me fair play, never believe me. Still deciding what to do but at the end of the day it's all just heart breaking." (Reporting by Alexia Shurmur; Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Chris Michaud)