War Machine in medical isolation

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Friday, October 17, 2014

Former MMA fighter War Machine is in medical isolation in a Las Vegas jail after a suicide attempt earlier this week, police confirmed Thursday, according to multiple reports.

A Clark County Detention Center guard found War Machine, formerly known as Jonathan Koppenhaver, on Tuesday night after he tried to hang himself, according to authorities. Police said Koppenhaver was unresponsive when found.

Koppenhaver's attorney, Brandon Sua, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the fighter's vital signs had "completely stopped" and that he was "pretty much dead" when found. Sua also said officials found "multiple" suicide notes in Koppenhaver's cell.

Koppenhaver, 32, is being held without bond on charges of attempted murder, domestic battery by strangulation, first-degree kidnapping and sexual assault, stemming from an alleged incident involving his ex-girlfriend and adult film actress Christy Mack on Aug. 8 at her Las Vegas residence. The professional mixed martial artist faces the possibility of life in prison.

A preliminary hearing had been scheduled for Friday, but the Review-Journal reported that lawyers told a judge Wednesday that they wanted to try negotiate with prosecutors.

Koppenhaver was extradited to Las Vegas from Ventura County, California, on Aug. 30, after he was arrested in a Los Angeles suburb.

Sua told the Review-Journal that his client's depression and anxiety had "increased since his August arrest."

ESPN.com's Brett Okamoto contributed to this report.

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