Of the estimated five million alligators in the United States, one-quarter of them can be found in Florida.
During mating season, these dangerous creatures sometimes make their way out of the swamp and into residential areas.
But one 8-foot alligator in the road was no match for this barefoot Florida man.
Most normal Americans are terrified by alligators.
Alligators have 80 teeth in their mouth at one time, and their jaws can exert up to 1,000 pounds of pressure.
They live about 50 years in the wild and can grow as large as 14 feet and weigh more than 1,000 pounds.
Alligators are known for swimming, but they can run up to 27 mph, which is much faster than the average human.
Although alligators live in rivers, lakes, marshes, and swamps, during mating season they sometimes drift out of their habitat and find themselves in crowded residential areas.
With an estimated 1.25 million alligators in the state, this occurs more frequently in Florida than in the other states with gator populations.
And that is exactly what happened over the weekend in downtown Jacksonville, Florida.
Mike Dragich is an amateur MMA fighter and professionally licensed alligator trapper.
While attending a hockey game with his family on Saturday, Dragich received an alert from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservative Commission about a large alligator causing a disturbance about five minutes from his location.
Instead of just laying in the road like most alligators do in residential areas, this one ran wild and chased after people nearby.
That is when a barefoot Dragich arrived on the scene rocking a sleeveless shirt and shorts.
“He was running towards the cops and a crowd of people, and everybody was screaming,” Dragich told FOX 35.
Dragich chased the alligator around until he got close enough to jump on its back and hold its mouth shut.
Although alligators can exert up to 1,000 pounds of pressure with their jaws, they have virtually no strength in opening their mouths and can be easily held shut by a human.
Dragich eventually won the match with the alligator and gained control over the 8-foot beast.
He lifted the alligator off the ground, held it in his arms, and gave the onlookers one show that they will never forget.
After he manhandled the alligator, Dragich said that he “felt like Batman.”
He then returned to the hockey game with his family as if nothing had happened.
“It was only five minutes from the game, so I literally left the game, caught the alligator and then went back to the game,” Dragich said.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
