Mike Dragich is used to taking on tough opponents, but his latest encounter took him far outside the MMA cage. The Florida fighter, widely known as the ‘Blue Collar Brawler,’ was called to a Jacksonville-area elementary school after a juvenile alligator became trapped near the building’s HVAC units. With the reptile needing to be safely removed, the 37-year-old stepped in to handle the situation.

Dragich, who is known for posting his alligator-catching escapades on Instagram, approached the animal and grabbed it with his bare hands. But the young gator wasn’t going down without a fight, and he fought the seasoned wrangler as he tried to subdue the beast.

Although the reptile was small compared to some of Florida’s enormous alligators, its size didn’t necessarily make the capture any easier. Juvenile alligators can be surprisingly aggressive and difficult to handle, turning even a routine removal into a challenge.

Fortunately, Dragich’s years of experience handling alligators came in handy. After all, even the toughest fighters can find themselves out of their depth around these reptiles, as Arman Tsarukyan discovered when he considered trying a rear-naked choke on a live alligator earlier this year.

Mike Dragich has turned his unusual line of work into a major draw on social media, as his Instagram account is nearing 500,000 followers, and frequently showcases his alligator captures using both his bare hands and professional wrangling equipment.

However, the juvenile gator wasn’t Dragich’s first unusual capture. His track record includes a 10-foot alligator near another local elementary school in June 2023, a six-foot gator caught with a plastic trash can, and an eight-foot alligator he reportedly captured with his bare hands in Jacksonville in April 2024.

These encounters have helped showcase the experience the 37-year-old has built over years of handling the reptiles, with his unusual captures continuing to draw attention online. His recent adventures haven’t been limited to smaller reptiles, either.

In another video, the Florida wrangler encountered a considerably larger alligator in a downtown Jacksonville neighborhood after the animal became lodged against a fence. With the situation posing a potential risk to both the gator and nearby residents, Mike Dragich relied on more conventional capture methods to secure the animal for relocation.

His latest school rescue is yet another reminder of the unusual situations his profession can throw at him. While most people would prefer to keep their distance from an alligator, the Florida-based fighter has made a career out of getting up close to the reptiles.

All about Mike Dragich’s MMA career

Mike Dragich’s toughness goes beyond wrestling alligators. The 37-year-old Florida native is a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran and former martial arts instructor trainer who also has experience in amateur MMA.

After suffering back-to-back losses between late 2021 and early 2022, he bounced back with a decision win over Richarde’ Anderson before claiming the amateur middleweight title at Premier Fight League 35 in December 2022 with a first-round TKO victory over Jaguar West.

Mike Dragich hasn’t competed in an official MMA fight since, after his scheduled 2023 bout was canceled. The 37-year-old did pick up a split-decision win over Billy Graves in a bare-knuckle boxing match at LeLeo Code MMA, though. Despite his amateur championship and 2-2 MMA record, the Florida native has yet to make his professional MMA debut.

His fight record might not be extensive, but his years of martial arts experience and physical conditioning surely come in handy in his unusual line of work.