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Mike Dragich is no stranger to wrangling alligators. The MMA fighter has uploaded several videos to social media of him tangling with these reptiles, but his most recent wrangle has everyone applauding the ‘Blue Collar Brawler’ for his efforts.
MMA fighter goes up against an alligator — and wins
MMA fighter Mike Dragich came face-to-face with a 10-foot alligator that was outside of an elementary school in Jacksonville. In a now-viral video, the 33-year-old was seen trying to remove the reptile by his tail, but failed. Dragich was given a catch pole and used it to get ahold of the alligator, which did a couple of death rolls before his opponent and a few Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department (JFRD) responders got it under control.
“When I seen how big the alligator was I was like, ‘Hey, it’s showtime,’” said Dragich to FOX 35 Orlando. “We just had to get the job done. I felt like Batman, for real. If you don’t get these animals tired, they will hurt you, if not kill you.”
Watch Dragich in action here. Also, please do not go out and attempt to wrangle an alligator after watching this. The man is a trained and licensed gator trapper, so leave it to the professional, alright?
“I always tell people, be very careful and don’t do what I’m doing on social media,” said Dragich. “But, I can promise you, that the animals are respected and they are dealt with in a professional manner each and every time, regardless of what it may look like on social media.”
MMA fighter uses his platform to shed light on other causes
With every alligator wrangle he uploads, Dragich says he uses the attention to raise awareness for a cause near and dear to him.
“My heart goes to our veterans dealing with PTSD and the issue of veteran suicide,” said Dragich, a United States Marine Corps veteran. “It puts eyes on me and I want to use that opportunity to point it all to Jesus and get these veterans all the help that they need.”
Mike Dragich has a decent MMA record
As far as his other career (the one where he wrangles people, not gators), Mike Dragich is 2-2 as an amateur. The ‘Blue Collar Brawler’ fought as recently as this past December when he earned a first-round (T)KO of Jaguar West at Premier Fight League (PFL) 35 for the vacant middleweight championship.
There is no word yet on when he expects to return to fighting, but as long as those gators are around, Mike Dragich is never far away from his next fight.
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