A Florida MMA fighter used his bare hands to subdue an eight-foot alligator that was crawling through the streets of Jacksonville’s north side Sunday night.
Mike Dragich, 34, known as the ‘Blue Collar Brawler,’ was at a nearby hockey game with his family when he received a disturbing call from an alligator from the sheriff’s department.
Dragich, a licensed alligator hunter and military veteran, did not have his trapping equipment with him on the game, but answered the call anyway and drove to a local shopping plaza, where he saw the snarling creature.
Using his bare hands and feet, Dragich immobilized the large alligator and was able to capture it without any equipment.
Mike Draggich, 34, used his bare hands to subdue an angry alligator on Jacksonville’s north side.
Draggich (pictured with a previous capture) is a licensed alligator hunter. When he received the annoying call from the alligator, Draggich was playing hockey with his family, so he didn’t have any of the equipment to capture him.
Video taken at the scene shows the alligator lumbering across the road as the trapper walks behind him in pursuit.
Dragich could be seen lurking behind the alligator before jumping onto its back and pressing down on its neck. The furious alligator’s jaws snapped open and he seemed to hiss.
The veteran then pressed the alligator’s head down, applying great force until the creature’s snout was flat on the ground.
Dragich lifted the alligator’s jaws and skillfully closed its mouth with a special tape.
After subduing the 8-foot giant, the ‘Blue Collar Brawler’ picked up the alligator and marched down the road with the creature in his arms.
Spectators could be seen crowding the streets to catch a glimpse of the local hero. Many passersby had their phones in their hands and were recording the entire spectacle.
‘The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office called the FWC about the alligator emergency situation and they dispatched me. “There was only five minutes left in the game, so I literally left the game, caught the alligator and then got back in the game,” Dragich said.
Dragich, a military veteran and MMA fighter, was able to subdue the 8-foot alligator in front of a crowd of spectators.
April is the beginning of alligator mating season, so similar incidents abound throughout the month.
Dragich has earned a reputation for his daring alligator takedowns, amassing tens of thousands of followers online.
Last June, the MMA veteran and fighter was sent to remove an aggressive 10-foot alligator from a parking lot near Jacksonville Elementary School. Trusting again in his own hands, Dragich wrestled the giant reptile in front of a crowd of cheering spectators.
“I felt like Batman, really, you know,” he told FOX 35 Orlando.
‘We arrived. I walked through the door. And boom. “There it was ready to go right there in the parking lot and we just had to get the job done,” he added.
In video of the incident, the giant alligator bites Dragich as he tries to grab it by the tail.
Dressed in a muscle shirt, he can be seen trying to hold him down using a pole as they wrestle on the grass in front of screaming spectators.
The local veteran places the lasso at the end of the stick around the alligator’s neck.
The animal can be seen rolling in circles, desperate to get rid of its opponent.
With the pole still around the alligator’s neck, Dragich jumps onto the animal’s shoulders and sits down to restrain it, accompanied by several Jacksonville firefighters.
Dragich had previously received attention for his daring alligator removal. He has tens of thousands of followers online.
“A lot of fighters will understand that when you go to the cage you’re nervous, but once the cage door closes, you have to be focused and, honestly, that’s what I remember from that night,” Dragich said.
Dragich has made the most of his fame by directing people’s attention to Project Savior Outdoors, a nonprofit he founded that offers retreats for military veterans to help prevent suicide.
According to the nonprofit’s mission statement, its goal “is to fight post-traumatic stress disorder and outdoor veteran suicide.”
“Our prayer is that ALL veterans will build community, ignite purpose, and challenge the darkness.”
