WASHINGTON — WrestleMania XL is five months away and the next UFC Fight Night is on Saturday, but a contentious exchange between U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin and the president of the Teamsters union nearly led to blows Tuesday on the Senate floor.
Mullin, R-Okla., a former mixed martial arts fighter, challenged International Brotherhood of Teamsters President Sean O’Brien to a fistfight, telling him to “stand your butt up,” USA Today reported.
The two were sparring in a verbal sense during a hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee called “Standing Up Against Corporate Greed: How Unions are Improving the Lives of Working Families.” according to The Washington Post.
Mullin and O’Brien had argued before about the senator’s claims of success over his family’s plumbing business, according to the newspaper. That is when Mullin read a social media post by O’Brien from June 21.
“Greedy CEO who pretends like he’s self made,” Mullin read, quoting O’Brien’s post. “In reality, just a clown & fraud. Always has been, always will be. Quit the tough guy act in these Senate hearings. You know where to find me. Anyplace, Anytime cowboy.”
Mullin, addressing O’Brien, said, “Sir, this is a time, this is a place. You want to run your mouth, we can be two consenting adults, we can finish it here.”
“OK, that’s fine. Perfect,” O’Brien retorted.
“You want to do it now?” Mullin asked. “Stand your butt up then.”
“You stand your butt up, big guy,” O’Brien said.
It took intervention from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., to restore order, in an exchange that was reminiscent of WWF (now WWE) referee Earl Hebner attempting to separate Hulk Hogan from the Honky Tonk Man during the 1990s.
“Hold it. No, no, no, sit down. Sit down!” Sanders shouted, according to USA Today. “You’re a United States senator, sit down.”
[ Rep. Burchett accuses Rep. McCarthy of elbowing him ]
“This is a hearing and God knows the American people have enough contempt for Congress.”
Mullin and O’Brien continued sniping at one another, The Associated Press reported.
“You challenged me to a cage match, acting like a 12-year-old schoolyard bully,” O’Brien said.
Each man called the other a “thug,” according to the AP, and Mullin suggested at one point that they fight for charity at an event next spring.
According to Mullin’s Senate biography, he had an undefeated 5-0 record in the MMA’s octagon. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2016.
In the other congressional main event, Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., accused former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., of elbowing him in the back as he was speaking with a reporter on Capitol Hill.
McCarthy denied having elbowed Burchett, NBC News and Grisales reported.
Back at the Senate, Sanders called the exchange in the Senate “absurd.”
“We were there to be talking about, and did talk about, the crisis facing working families in this country, the growing gap between the very rich and everybody else and the role that unions are playing in improving the standard of living of the American people,” Sanders said. “We’re not there to talk about cage fighting.”
Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., called the Senate “a dynamic place,” according to the AP.
“We don’t wear the white wigs anymore,” he said.