'I felt like Batman!' Florida MMA fighter Mike Dragich battles 10-foot alligator near elementary school
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA: MMA fighter Mike Dragich is accustomed to facing off against metaphorical animals in cages, but recently he had a chance to face off against a real one by wrestling a 10-foot alligator away from bystanders, and the crazy action was documented on camera. According to FOX 35 Orlando, amateur fighter Dragich, 33, engaged the strange foe in a parking lot next to Jacksonville elementary school. In the presence of almost 200 cheering spectators, Dragich fought the alligator.
In the video Dragich released to his social media site, it appears that he didn't appear at all nervous about the imminent combat, confidently approaching the alligator. The big gator was seized by the tail by Dragich, who was wearing a muscle shirt, as bystanders screamed in horror at the reptile's escapes and leaps.
What happened near Jacksonville elementary school?
The MMA fighter attempted to drag the alligator by the tail once more, but he was only able to drag it a short distance before losing control. Dragich was prepared with a catch pole, which he was able to wrap around the alligator's neck when it managed to escape. The crowd was screaming and attentively watching the man-versus-beast combat as the animal spun about in circles, fighting the restriction. "I felt like Batman, for real, you know," Dragich said to FOX 35 Orlando. "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 continued.
The MMA fighter hops atop the gator's shoulders while the catch pole is still around its neck, and other Jacksonville firefighters sit on the reptile to keep it down. Dragich remarked, "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," as per TMZ.
Who is Mike Dragich?
The 33-year-old Florida-based mixed martial artist and amateur fighter Dragich has taken part in four amateur fights and currently has a two-fight winning streak. In his most recent fight, he knocked out Jaguar West in the first round at Premier Fight League 35. The former U.S. Marine also oversees Project Saviour Outdoors, a nonprofit organization devoted to assisting veterans with PTSD and preventing elderly suicide. Mike Dragich has experience fighting real wild animals and is a certified "Gator Trapper."
