Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Rape fantasy at the centre of MMA fighter's brutal domestic violence trial

Judge says jurors will be told of plan to act out role play before Christy Mack beaten unconscious

Jon Sharman
Tuesday 10 January 2017 15:02 EST
Christy Mack's injuries
Christy Mack's injuries (Twitter)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

An adult actor and her MMA fighter boyfriend discussed acting out a rape fantasy before he allegedly brutally beat her, ruptured her liver and 18 broken bones, jurors will be told.

Jonathan "War Machine" Koppenhaver is accused of attacking Christine Mackinday — stage name Christy Mack — and a friend at her home after their relationship ended, and faces 35 charges including five of sexual assault and two of attempted murder.

A judge has ruled that jurors will be allowed to hear testimony that Ms Mackinday had asked Mr Koppenhaver to act out a rape fantasy that "never came to fruition" before the beating in August 2014. The couple are also said to have shared a regular joke in which Mr Koppenhaver said, "Real men rape," and Ms Mackinday repeated the phrase back to him, the NY Post reported.

She told a court hearing that the fantasy was a personal “role play” and “fetish” using a “very specific set of guidelines and rules ... for safety reasons and consent reasons".

“I wouldn’t want to have an actual rape happen," she said.

The pair had met in 2013 and Ms Mackinday fell "totally in love with" Mr Koppenhaver, before she said he became abusive "four to five months in".

Ms Mackinday alleges that on 15 August, 2014, Mr Koppenhaver entered her home, beat up her friend and then turned on her. The charges he faces date back to May 2013 and he is already serving a prison sentence for violating probation in an earlier assault case, the Post said.

The 34-year-old's trial is due to begin on 27 February.

Images of Ms Mackinday's injuries shocked social media users when she posted them after the attack. They showed her with eyes swollen shut, a deep bruise on her thigh and shattered teeth.

Mr Koppenhaver has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in