Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) on Monday challenged a labor union president to a physical fight in response to some mean tweets.
The senator and Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien have been feuding since March, when O’Brien referred to Mullin, a business owner, as a “greedy CEO” during a Senate committee hearing.
Mullin brought up the exchange during another Senate hearing last Wednesday, prompting O’Brien to respond online, where he called the senator “JohnWayne” and a “moron” in one tweet, and a “clown” and a “fraud” in another.
“Quit the tough guy act in these senate hearings,” O’Brien wrote in a tweet that mocked Mullin’s height. “You know where to find me. Anyplace, Anytime cowboy.”
After apparently thinking about it for five days, on Monday, Mullin suggested they set a date and location for a mixed martial arts showdown ― “for charity.”
“An attention-seeking union Teamster boss is trying to be punchy after our Senate hearing,” Mullin wrote. “Okay, I accept your challenge. MMA fight for charity of our choice. Sept 30th in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I’ll give you 3 days to accept.”
Mullin fought and won in three mixed martial arts matches in 2006 and 2007, according to Sherdog.com. He was elected to the House in 2012 and won a special Senate election last year.
In 2018, Mullin Twitter-challenged Democratic lawyer Michael Avenatti to meet him on the mat. The two never fought and Avenatti has since been sentenced to prison for ripping off his clients.
O’Brien, for this part, has indeed projected a punchy image since winning a 2021 election to lead the Teamsters, having campaigned on a promise of aggressive organization and contract negotiation.
The Teamsters primarily represent transportation workers, including more than 300,000 UPS employees, who recently voted to authorize a potentially major strike this summer if the company doesn’t meet their demands.