Before you can figure out what drives a human being, it's generally important to at least know what to call them.
For the controversial UFC veteran known as "War Machine," that can be a difficult task -- though the 27-year-old recently told TAGG Radio (
www.taggradio.com), the official radio partner of MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com), calling him Jon Koppenhaver is just fine.
"Legally, it's War Machine," Koppenhaver said. "That would be kind of cheesy to go, 'Hey, how's it going? My name's War. Mr. Machine.'"
Much to the befuddled amusement of many MMA observers, the California native legally changed his name to War Machine in August 2008 after TNA wrestling laid claim to the trademarked name. Koppenhaver said the name has caused its share of predictable confusion. For that reason alone, Koppenhaver is still comfortable with using his birth name.
"I was at the DMV and the chick for my ID was looking around and she was like, 'Mr. Machine?'" Koppenhaver said. "I go by Jon. I just did that for legal purposes."
While the incident at the DMV may have been amusing to Koppenhaver, the Las Vegas Metro Police Department's recent dealings with the fighter were far-less entertaining. Koppenhaver's Feb. 8 arrest for an incident at Krave nightclub in Las Vegas -- the fighter's second assault-related charge in less than two years -- brought the UFC veteran under heavy scrutiny for his behavior.
When celebrity gossip and news website TMZ.com published the report, Krave's reputation as a club that supports "alternative" lifestyles earned Koppenhaver further criticism. Koppenhaver gave his explanation for what happened on the night in question.
"First off, I was actually working [at Krave]," Koppenhaver said. "I had a job there on Saturday nights. I was doing bottle service."
"I was making great money and I was meeting all kinds of chicks. I'm not scared of gay guys. So I was working there, and we have a doorman there. He's one of those big old dudes that's like six-foot-four, 400 (pounds), with a suit and a goofy mohawk. He's not tough, but he thinks he's real tough. But we always got along for the most part. It was always 'Hi' and 'Bye' for the most part. There was always a little bit of attitude, but nothing major.
"He knew I was a fighter, and he knew he was a lot bigger than me. So I think always in the back of his head he was thinking, 'Oh, I could beat that dude up.'"
Koppenhaver said that little bit of tension flared up when a third party was introduced to the situation.
"I was working, and I got off a little bit early," Koppenhaver said. "I was just hanging out, and there was a cute chick at the bar. So I said, 'What's up?' I was talking to this chick and she was flirting back. All of a sudden her boyfriend comes over and was like, 'Hey, man. That's my girlfriend.' He was pissed off.
"So then I basically said, 'Hey, man. She was standing there alone. My bad. I'm sorry.' And he did kind of a 'Yeah, you better be sorry.' He wouldn't drop it. We kept arguing. Long story short, we argued, he got butt-hurt. He went to go tell his big buddy in the front that, 'Oh, this waiter guy.' Whatever. He was complaining about me.
"So when I was over there, kind of on my way out, he was staring at me, and he said a remark. I was like, 'What? I didn't hear you, dude.' We had words back and forth. Basically it boiled down to him thinking that I'm little and he's 300 pounds, he'll smash me. I told him, 'Hey, man. You've got it wrong. I'll whoop your ass.' He said, 'Dude, let's see it. Come on. Let's do it.'"
Koppenhaver, who insisted alcohol was not involved in the incident, said that he felt inclined to act first once provoked.
"Basically we got into an argument, and it kept escalating to where it got to the point where it was a challenge," Koppenhaver said. "I was kind of actually a little bit scared. Somebody that big hits you, it's going to hurt. So I definitely wasn't going to get hit first. I felt a little bit threatened, so I thought, 'Hey, I'm going to get in the first hit, at least.'"
The incident landed Koppenhaver in jail. Still on probation for a September 2007 incident in San Diego, Koppenhaver will find out what further punishment could potentially await him when he appears for an April court date.
"I'm under the impression that as long as I can clear this one up out here that it shouldn't affect me [in San Diego]," Koppenhaver said. "But you never know."
Koppenhaver said he wishes he would have acted differently in the situation but knows he must face any repercussions head on.
"It definitely didn't need to happen," Koppenhaver said. "If I could go back in time I would try and make it not happen. But now that it's happened, I've got to deal with it.
"I'm getting better and better as I get older of that [expletive] not happening. I've walked away from a lot of stuff. But once in a while it gets the better of me. I'm not perfect, that's for damn sure."
Koppenhaver said he's aware of the issues his temper has caused and is focused on dealing with his emotions in a better manner.
"I tried anger management before and it made me more mad," Koppenhaver said. "I don't think it's very effective.
"Actually, I've been on medication the past year, ever since I left "The Ultimate Fighter" show house. I was having a lot of problems with anxiety and even panic attacks. I was a maniac, to be honest.
"It's been about a year now, and I've probably calmed down a good 80 percent. You have no idea. if people knew me before, I was way out of control. I've been way better and it's really changed my life in a positive way. But it's not going to change the fact that I am who I am and I still need to work to control myself and make better decisions."
Koppenhaver said his often-critized actions, which include his recent arrest as well as ranting MySpace blogs about the death of Evan Tanner and a call to assassinate President Barack Obama, are a mix of his own personality along with a desire to generate buzz around his name.
"There's fighters that go in there and fight and do a great job, and the second they get out of the cage, no one remembers them," Koppenhaver said. "Then there's guys like Tito (Ortiz). Half the crowd loves him and half the crowd hates him. That's the guy I want to be.
"If you hate me, I don't care. Scream for me to lose. Curse me, curse for me to lose. If you love me, yell for me. But I want it to be loud. I want everyone to care. Basically I got the idea that if I make controversial statements about things that people are divided on, it's a good way to piss people off and a good way to get people on my side."
Having now been released from the UFC following his comments on Tanner and cut from the soon-to-debut Bellator Fighting Championships after his rant on Obama, Koppenhaver said he realizes that he can't be quite as free of a spirit as he once was.
"I've come to realize that I do have to follow some rules," Koppenhaver said. "Now I'm just more willing to follow them. I'm willing to play the game a little bit and to get back on track."
Koppenhaver will look to take a step in a positive direction when he meets undefeated Guillaume de Lorenzi at "XMMA 7: Inferno" in Montreal. And while the controversial fighter says he will tone things down a bit moving forward, he'll always stay true to himself.
"I'm just being myself," Koppenhaver said. "I'm still going to be controversial. I'm still going to be me. I'm just not going to do the outrageous stuff because it's not worth it."
To hear Koppenhaver's full, in-studio appearance, download Tuesday's edition of TAGG Radio, available for free in the TAGG Radio Archives.
