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The chaos of the 2025 U.S. government shutdown hasn’t just left offices empty; it has also stranded people in places they never expected to be. Among them is Mark Coleman, who spent the weekend sleeping on an airport floor. A picture he posted online shows the Hall of Famer lying on the floor, using his jacket as a pillow, looking more like a traveler on a bad night than one of MMA’s biggest pioneers. Coleman was on his way home, not to a fight or a film shoot. But as the shutdown goes through its second month, he becomes an unintentional symbol of the frustration that everyday Americans are experiencing: endless delays, canceled flights, and nowhere to go when the system comes to a standstill. ADVERTISEMENT Mark Coleman gets stranded as the U.S. shutdown ruins the travel system “Flights are being delayed and canceled… All the hotels were booked full,” Coleman wrote in his post. “Let’s go get the government running again—no transportation not good for anybody.” It was a simple message, but it conveyed the exhaustion of passengers across the country. The post went viral quickly, not because it was shocking, but because it was relatable. Everyone has been or knows someone who has been stuck in this situation ever since the shutdown occurred. Airports across the United States have become holding pens as unpaid TSA workers and air traffic controllers battle to keep operations running. Long lineups, missing staff members, and ground delays have become the norm. The FAA has already pushed airlines to cancel hundreds of flights every day to relieve the burden, and some controllers in big hubs such as Washington and New York are simply not showing up at all. Behind all of this instability is an ongoing political dispute that shows no signs of easing. Congress still hasn’t agreed on a funding plan, so government employees are either furloughed or working without pay. ADVERTISEMENT For most people, this equals inconvenience. Travelers experience sleepless nights on freezing airport floors. ‘The Hammer,’ who has lately made headlines for his character being played in Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson‘s film The Smashing Machine, sees it as a different kind of fight: one against frustration and fatigue rather than fists. ADVERTISEMENT Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports For once, Mark Coleman wasn’t breaking down his opponents; he was breaking through the monotony of a shutdown that is affecting millions. It is worth noting that this isn’t the only flight-related issue suffered by the MMA icon in recent days, as just a few days ago, he was kicked off his flight to Las Vegas. U.S. Airlines has become Mark Coleman’s toughest rival yet For someone who once made a living by throwing guys all around the cage, Mark Coleman’s newest rival seems to be the United States airlines. Just weeks before being stranded overnight during the shutdown, ‘The Hammer’ was escorted off a flight to Las Vegas, another terrible travel experience. No fists, no yelling, simply a misunderstanding that escalated when a passenger attempted to occupy the unoccupied seat next to him. ADVERTISEMENT Coleman described the exchange on Instagram. A large man requested if he could sit in the middle seat, and Coleman questioned it, but the man sat nonetheless. “It was a tight squeeze,” he explained. The man eventually moved, but a flight attendant accused Coleman of being disrespectful. Moments later, security arrived. “Grab your bag and come with me,” they ordered him. “Well, crap, I was off the plane.” Mark Coleman later stated that he could have handled it better. “Moral of the story—always be nice,” he said. He also mentioned that he nearly missed his connecting flight by sprinting to another gate. Well, it seems like travel continues to test the patience of a guy who has fought wars within cages, and the airlines have recently been winning on points.
