Matt Serra reflects on the downfall of The Ultimate Fighter pupil Jon ‘War Machine’ Koppenhaver: “He could’ve been helped!”
UFC Hall of Famer Matt Serra believes Jon ‘War Machine’ Koppenhaver was a product of the company he decided to keep during his life and career.
Serra coached Koppenhaver and other up-and-coming fighters on The Ultimate Fighter Season 6. Matt Hughes and Serra coached opposite each other ahead of their scheduled fight at UFC 79 in 2007.
Koppenhaver is serving a life sentence for domestic battery, rape, and other violent charges stemming from a 2014 altercation with adult film actress Christy Mack. Mack and her then-boyfriend Corey Thomas were badly injured after Koppenhaver broke into her Las Vegas home.
Koppenhaver was on the run for about a week before he was arrested in Simi Valley, California by U.S. Marshals. He was charged with a total of 36 felony charges.
Serra, who coached Koppenhaver on the show, recently opened up on Koppenhaver’s self-destructive path.
Matt Serra looks back on relationship with Jon ‘War Machine’ Koppenhaver
During a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Serra looked back on Koppenhaver’s career.
“You know what’s sad? A camera crew from Toronto came down, they’re doing a thing called ‘Dark Side of the Cage’, and they wanted to interview me about ‘War Machine’,” Serra said of Koppenhaver. “They came out, and I did a thing for that, and it just depressed me. It just brought me down. Because that was a kid, when he was on the show, there’s some guys that are just evil and other guys that if they had the right people around them, they could’ve made different choices. He was goofy, he had issues, he was emotional, always thought the cards were stacked against him type of thing…
“But still, there was something likable about him on the show, Season 6 of The Ultimate Fighter,” Serra continued. “He was a prankster, did an ‘Upper Decker’ in the toilet, a silly guy. But I thought that if he had the right people around him, he obviously would’ve made a lot better choices…’War Machine’, the one guy to show up at his trial to be there for him, and again you show me your friends, you show me who you are. And it was Phil Baroni, and he was not a good guy…it’s brutal, man. Phil I always knew was a piece of s***, but ‘War Machine’ I thought could’ve been helped. I really do. What’s done is done, but it depresses me because I thought there was some hope.”
Koppenhaver retired from MMA after a loss to Ron Keslar at Bellator 104. He faces the possibility of parole in 2053.
