Katherine Sidnell
An MMA fighter had a bout he’ll never forget when he wrestled a 10-foot alligator outside an elementary school in Florida.
Mike Dragich, also known as the Bluecollar Brawler on social media, can be seen grabbing the gator and even dragging it away as onlookers scream in the background.
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The wild incident happened outside of a Jacksonville elementary school and was even captured on camera.
It was later uploaded to Instagram by Dragich, who can be seen fighting against the gator as concerned locals look on.
Whilst most people would want a bit of protection when wrestling an alligator, Mike decided to tackle the beast in a thin muscle shirt and baseball cap.
Understandably, the clip has gone viral, being seen by over 860,000 people on social media ,and even captured the attention of a local news outlet, Fox 35 Orlando.
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Luckily, the rebellious reptile was soon rounded up thanks to the MMA fighter’s efforts.
However, it wasn’t the easiest of fights with the former veteran looking like he was on the ropes as the 10-foot reptile fought back.
“We get there. I walked through the gate. And boom. There it was just ready to go right there in the parking lot, and we just had to get the job done,” he explained to the news crew, recalling how he grabbed the gator by the tail in an attempt to drag it.
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As the angry animal fought back, Dragich was able to use a catch pole to secure the alligator’s neck – as crowds screamed in the background.
During the epic man-vs-beast bout, the gator even tried to roll away with Dragich telling the station: “I felt like Batman, for real, you know.”
Shortly after this though, the MMA fighter got the upper hand and pinned the animal down with multiple Jacksonville firefighters holding the animal down.
He added: “A lot of fighters will understand that when you go to the cage, you’re nervous but once that cage door closes, you gotta be focused, and honestly, that’s what I remembered from that night.”
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Whilst it might not be common for an MMA fighter to tackle a 10ft gator, Floridians regularly have to deal with the animals – who can pose a threat to people and the surrounding area.
In fact, there are an estimated 1.3 million gators in Florida alone – with many having to be euthanized so they don’t return to the same location.