Kristi Noem fell from grace after President Donald Trump sacked her from her position and replaced her with Markwayne Mullin. Though the Oklahoma senator will be stepping into her shoes, he has been put under scrutiny over his exaggerated claims.
According to reports from Talking Points Memo, Mullin has built a reputation for telling incredible stories. One of the things that he tends to remind everyone of is his MMA career, making absurd claims that would raise the eyebrows of his fellow colleagues. The media outlet asked Mullin’s office and the White House about his claim of a 5-0 record.
Here is Trump’s Director of Homeland Security pick Markwayne Mullin trying to physically fight someone in the middle of a Senate hearing pic.twitter.com/icAcRluR4t
— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) March 5, 2026
They did not immediately respond to the request. What makes the claim more questionable is that MMA databases such as Sherdog and Tapology identified that he has an undefeated record of 3-0. During an episode of the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast, Wyatt Cenac pointed out Mullin’s fighting record, leaving everyone confused. He said,
“He is an undefeated fighter who either is 5-0 or 3-0 depending on what sources you look at.”
The host added, “You can’t quite tell.” They delved into his three documented wins, where one was against an 18-year-old, while Markwayne Mullin was 29 years old. Cenac remarked, “I have a lot of questions around a man in his late 20’s who choked out a teenager, but that counts as a victory, I suppose.”
Tim Miller, a political commentator, was a guest on the show and questioned the opponent’s technical prowess. He mentioned that Mullin’s 3-0 record appears to be in a semipro MMA league. Miller drew a parallel with a company softball league, where one can win three championships and run for the Senate.
Surprisingly, the claims do not end there. The media outlet interviewed a Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach, who had interviewed for a staff position with Mullin’s House office. He recalled, “In the middle of the interview, he goes, ‘Oh, I see you have jiu-jitsu on your resume. I’m a black belt world champion.”
He continued that Mullin sidetracked from the interview and talked about going to the world championships in Brazil. The Oklahoma senator had allegedly claimed that he fought in the finals against a member of the Gracie family and defeated him “using all my wrestling.”
Markwayne Mullin doubles down on his claim that politicians should be able to resort to violence.
Even the Republican chair is shocked: “There’s no precedent for legal dueling.” pic.twitter.com/66NyJLM0p6
— American Bridge 21st Century (@American_Bridge) March 18, 2026
Mullin had allegedly told him that all the Gracie brothers came up to him, asking him to come to the South American country to teach wrestling. The coach did not believe the story, stating, “If you competed in the world championships of anything, you would know exactly who you competed against.”
He added that Mullin was lying and believed that he did not even have a black belt. In a separate 2013 report by the House Ethics Committee to investigate his earnings, the committee found that he was the president and owner of Oklahoma Fight Club. an MMA gym, offering jiu-jitsu lessons.
