Florida man and MMA fighter Mike Dragich uses bare hands to catch and carry away an 8-foot alligator wandering Jacksonville streets

A Florida MMA fighter used his bare hands to subdue an eight-foot alligator that was crawling along the streets in Jacksonville's Northside on Sunday night.

Mike Dragich, 34, known as the 'Blue Collar Brawler, was at a nearby hockey game with his family when he received a nuisance alligator call from the sheriff's department.

A licensed alligator trapper and military veteran, Dragich didn't have his trapping equipment with him at the game, but he responded to the call anyway, driving to a local shopping plaza, where he saw the snarling creature.

Using his bare hands and feet, Dragich pinned the big alligator down and was able to capture it without any equipment.

Mike Draggich, 34, used his bare hands to subdue an irate alligator in Jacksonville's Northside

Draggich (pictured with a previous catch) is a licensed alligator trapper. When he received the nuisance alligator call, Draggich was at a hockey with his family, so he didn't have any of his trapping equipment

A video taken at the scene shows the alligator lumbering across the road while the trapper walks behind it in pursuit.

Dragich could be seen stalking up behind the alligator before pouncing on its back and pressing down on its neck. The irate alligator's jaws popped open, and it appeared to hiss.

The veteran then pressed the alligator's head down, applying great force until the creature's snout was flat on the ground.

Pulling the gator's jaws up, Dragich deftly wrapped its mouth shut with a special tape.

After subduing the 8-foot giant, the 'Blue Collar Brawler' hoisted up the alligator and marched down the highway with the thrashing creature in his arms.

Spectators could be seen crowding the streets to get a glance at the local hero. Many bystanders had their phones out and were recording the entire spectacle.r. 

'Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office called the emergency alligator situation to FWC and I was dispatched. 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.

Dragich, a military veteran and MMA fighter, was able to subdue the 8-foot gator in front of a throng of spectators

April is the start of mating season for alligators, so similar incidents abound over the course of the month.

Dragich has earned a reputation for his daring alligator removals, amassing tens of thousands of followers online. 

Last June, the veteran and MMA fighter was dispatched to remove an aggressive ten-foot gator from a parking lot near Jacksonville elementary school. Relying on his bare hands again, Dragich grappled with the giant reptile in front of a crowd of cheering spectators.

'I felt like Batman, for real, you know,' he told 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 added.

In the video from the incident, the giant alligator snaps at Dragich as he tries to grab it by the tail.

Dressed in a muscle shirt, he can then be seen trying to pin it down using a catch pole as they battle it out on the grass in front of screaming onlookers.

The local veteran puts the loop at the end of the pole around the alligator's neck.

The animal can be seen rolling around in circles, desperate to shake off his opponent.

With the catch pole still around the alligator's neck, Dragich jumps onto the animal's shoulders and sits to hold it down, accompanied by several Jacksonville firefighters.

Dragich has previously received attention for his daring alligator removal. He has tens of thousands of online followers

'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,' Dragich said.

Dragich has made the most of his fame by directing people's attention to Project Savior Outdoors, a nonprofit he founded that offers retreats for military veterans to help prevent suicide.

According to the nonprofit's mission statement, their aim 'is to fight PTSD and veteran suicide through the outdoors.'

'Our prayer is that ALL veterans will forge community, ignite purpose, and defy darkness.'