An amateur mixed martial artist took matters into his own hands when an alligator stuck his nose near an elementary school in Jacksonville, Fla. last week.
The massive 10-foot-long beast was subdued after several attempts by Mike Dragich, a 33-year-old man who has a particular interest in danger. When he’s not fighting in an octagon, he’s engaged in capturing alligators and is even licensed to hunt large reptiles.
Despite his wealth of experience, Dragich struggled to capture the beast by grabbing its tail. Amidst the cries of worried onlookers and the looks of firefighters and police officers, he managed to muzzle her with a metal bar fitted with a net.
“Actually, I felt like Batman,” the middleweight, who boasts a 2-2-0 amateur record, proudly told the FOX network.
“A lot of fighters will understand me: before a fight you are nervous, but once the cage door is closed you have to be focused. That’s all I remember from that night.
Not only did Dragich survive this delicate surgery unscathed, but he also revealed to TMZ Sports that his community wanted to celebrate the win with an alligator tasting. A story in the sense of the “Sunshine State”!