Jon Koppenhaver

Jon Koppenhaver is a colorful character and when it comes to his Myspace blog he holds nothing back, truthfully putting his opinion on the site for everyone to read. After several recent posts cost him his job with the soon-to-debut Bellator Fighting Championships, he decided to try to clear some things up. The following are his newest comments.

“As you all know I post some very controversial bulletins, a few of which have affected my career in a very negative way. At this I feel the need to clear a few things up. First, I need to admit that my comment regarding Obama was completely out of line. In all sincerity I do not wish any harm done to the President and I realize that it was a very stupid thing to write so I am publicly apologizing to the President and to his supporters.

In the beginning of my career it was brought to my attention (by some ignorant advisors, which I now realize) that my image as a professional fighter is more marketable if I am controversial. Controversy does grab attention. Part of creating that controversy is consistently saying things in a public format that I know will cause a reaction. Along with my loyal fans, I know that part of my popularity as a fighter is that people want to see me get my ass kicked. I knew that my Obama bulletin would gain me more fans as well as make a lot more people hate me and that was exactly the reaction I was going for. Obama is one of the most loved people in the country right now.

Once I thought it through, it was too late. I removed the post an hour later. But the harm was done. So, at this point I’m being a man and I’m publicly admitting that I was wrong. What I wrote was stupid. So once again I want to reiterate the point that I really do not hope anything bad happens to him.

I also want to man up and apologize for my comments that I made regarding the Bellator Fighting Championship, ESPN and Disney. You can’t imagine the frustration of training day after day, week after week, year after year, to do one thing: FIGHT. I was really looking forward to showcasing my ability in that tournament. There’s no way for you to imagine the heartbreak I felt when I found out that I wasn’t going to be able to compete. Looking back now, I realize that if I ran an up and coming professional organization like Bellator, I wouldn’t want my event associated with a “wild card” posting crazy shit about the President either. I understand why they did what they did. I admit that. I’m still pissed that I can’t compete in the tournament, but there is no one I can be pissed at other than MYSELF.

The last thing I want to address is my recent arrest Saturday night. There is a lot of B.S. information online and I want to clear things up. I was not out drinking, and I wasn’t hanging out in that club. I was employed there. The incident occurred with a co-worker and a 300lbs. doorman at that. After discussing what really happened with my attorneys, I am confident that once all is said and done, it will be easy to prove that I did not commit any battery that night. I’d love to get into details, but I can’t right now.

A month ago I moved back to Las Vegas to take advantage of the training partners and resources at Xtreme Couture and I have been training harder and with more intensity and discipline than at any point in my life. I only have one real goal in my MMA career: to prove to myself and to the world that I am the best. I know that I can compete against the best in the world and I can beat them. All over the underground people are saying that my career is finished, that I’m self-destructing, and that I’m a “loose cannon.”

What I have to say to those people is this: WATCH ME. I am one of the hardest working fighters in MMA today. Though I admit I’ve made a couple of dumb decisions, I want the world to know that I will prove every critic wrong. I’ll fight wherever I can, and I’ll prove that I belong at the very top. I thank my supporters for sticking by me, and I dare my haters to bet against me.”

This sounds like a true apology from a man that is willing to change. The move to Vegas should be a good one with the training partners at Xtreme Couture providing him many great things, one of which could be much needed leadership. If he is serious about his fighting career then he definitely has some serious work ahead of him. Not only does he have to prove his worth to an organization, but also has to prove to the millions of MMA fans that he is a fighter to be reckoned with. If Junie Browning can fight in the UFC, so can Koppenhaver.

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