“War Machine” Finally at Peace
Dec 8, 2011 Comments
(PRESS RELEASE) -- No one needs to tell Jon Koppenhaver what it
means to hit rock bottom. After being raised by a substance-abusing
mother and spending over a year in state prison, “War Machine” has
seen it all. Only 29 years old and coming off a dominating TKO
victory over former Bellator and UFC fighter Roger Huerta, the
talented welterweight is ready to resurrect his MMA career by
joining Bellator Fighting Championships.
“Jon’s not had an easy road,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “And there’s no doubt he’s made some poor choices, but after having had conversations with him since his release, he really seems to understand where and why things went wrong and wants to make them right. And, when he’s focused on nothing but training and fighting, he’s a talented and exciting fighter. I hope he’s able to turn this second chance into something positive.”
Born and raised in California, Koppenhaver has dealt with personal
demons nearly his entire life. Watching his mother abuse drugs was
common for Koppenhaver, which eventually led to him leaving home to
live with his biological father. Soon after the move was made,
Koppenhaver’s father suffered a heart attack and died in his son’s
arms.
“My past has kind of shaped and molded who I've become, but the mistakes I've made in the past have definitely made me realize that I have to avoid certain situations in order to be the type of person I want to be,” War Machine said.
“It’s like I hit the rewind button,” War Machine said. “I pressed rewind and now I have a chance to get my life back on track. It feels great. Not everyone gets this kind of opportunity. I’m just stoked to be back in the mix here with Bellator. I didn’t get released from Bellator because I sucked. I got released because I was making poor decisions in my life. Right now I’m just out to show the world that I do belong here fighting the best with Bellator.” With the recent win over Huerta, War Machine is aware of what is on the line with Bellator, and is ready for this opportunity.
“I feel like I belong fighting with the best fighters in the world and Bellator has a bunch of them,” said War Machine. “I’m ready to fight the best guys again, and now I have that chance. I’m excited for the chance to prove myself and make up for a lot of the stupid stuff I’ve said and done in the past. I love my family and my teammates and I want to make them all proud of me. I want to show them what I’m truly capable of. I know there are a lot of kids and people I care about there watching me so I need to be a lot more careful about some of the choices I make. I just want to make everyone proud of me.”
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator
About Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company headquartered in Chicago. Bellator’s founder/CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production, television production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.
About MTV2
MTV2 is a man's best friend, available in nearly 80 million homes and with the highest concentration of males 12-24 and 12-34 on TV today. A vibrant mix of music, lifestyle and action sports programming, MTV2 has reflected the habits and behavior of young people since its launch in 1996. MTV2 is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom, one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.
About EPIX
EPIX, a joint venture between Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), its Paramount Pictures unit, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), is a next-generation premium entertainment channel, video-on-demand and online service launched on October 30, 2009. With access to more than 15,000 motion pictures spanning the vast libraries of its partners and other studios, EPIX provides a powerful entertainment experience with more feature films on demand and online and more HD movies than any other service. It is the only premium service providing its entire monthly line-up of new Hollywood titles, classic feature films, original series, music and comedy specials through the linear channel, video-on-demand and online at EpixHD.com, the leading online destination for movies.
EPIX has made the commitment to deliver the industry's most expansive online collection of movies, making more than 3,000 titles available on EpixHD.com. The service is available to over 30 million homes nationwide through distribution partners including Charter Communications, Cox Communications, DISH Network, Mediacom Communications, NCTC, Suddenlink Communications and Verizon FiOS.
“Jon’s not had an easy road,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “And there’s no doubt he’s made some poor choices, but after having had conversations with him since his release, he really seems to understand where and why things went wrong and wants to make them right. And, when he’s focused on nothing but training and fighting, he’s a talented and exciting fighter. I hope he’s able to turn this second chance into something positive.”
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“My past has kind of shaped and molded who I've become, but the mistakes I've made in the past have definitely made me realize that I have to avoid certain situations in order to be the type of person I want to be,” War Machine said.
Fighting certainly has shaped Koppenhaver’s life, both in and out
of the cage. After a 5-1 start to his professional MMA career, War
Machine began a downward spiral that included numerous altercations
in bars and nightclubs, which eventually led to his year-long
incarceration. Originally signed by Bellator in 2009, War Machine
made disparaging political comments that led to his release before
he could step foot inside the Bellator cage. Now back with
Bellator, War Machine realizes this is a chance not everyone
gets.
“It’s like I hit the rewind button,” War Machine said. “I pressed rewind and now I have a chance to get my life back on track. It feels great. Not everyone gets this kind of opportunity. I’m just stoked to be back in the mix here with Bellator. I didn’t get released from Bellator because I sucked. I got released because I was making poor decisions in my life. Right now I’m just out to show the world that I do belong here fighting the best with Bellator.” With the recent win over Huerta, War Machine is aware of what is on the line with Bellator, and is ready for this opportunity.
“I feel like I belong fighting with the best fighters in the world and Bellator has a bunch of them,” said War Machine. “I’m ready to fight the best guys again, and now I have that chance. I’m excited for the chance to prove myself and make up for a lot of the stupid stuff I’ve said and done in the past. I love my family and my teammates and I want to make them all proud of me. I want to show them what I’m truly capable of. I know there are a lot of kids and people I care about there watching me so I need to be a lot more careful about some of the choices I make. I just want to make everyone proud of me.”
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator
About Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company headquartered in Chicago. Bellator’s founder/CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production, television production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.
About MTV2
MTV2 is a man's best friend, available in nearly 80 million homes and with the highest concentration of males 12-24 and 12-34 on TV today. A vibrant mix of music, lifestyle and action sports programming, MTV2 has reflected the habits and behavior of young people since its launch in 1996. MTV2 is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom, one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.
About EPIX
EPIX, a joint venture between Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), its Paramount Pictures unit, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), is a next-generation premium entertainment channel, video-on-demand and online service launched on October 30, 2009. With access to more than 15,000 motion pictures spanning the vast libraries of its partners and other studios, EPIX provides a powerful entertainment experience with more feature films on demand and online and more HD movies than any other service. It is the only premium service providing its entire monthly line-up of new Hollywood titles, classic feature films, original series, music and comedy specials through the linear channel, video-on-demand and online at EpixHD.com, the leading online destination for movies.
EPIX has made the commitment to deliver the industry's most expansive online collection of movies, making more than 3,000 titles available on EpixHD.com. The service is available to over 30 million homes nationwide through distribution partners including Charter Communications, Cox Communications, DISH Network, Mediacom Communications, NCTC, Suddenlink Communications and Verizon FiOS.
