Latest news with #CollarBrawler
Time of India
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Explained: What is the Florida man meme?
(Instagram: If you are on social media, you must have come across a video where a man is capturing an alligator just by wearing a pair of crocs. The bravery of the man fighting the giant creature in broad daylight without the slightest hint of fear has amazed netizens. In a scene straight out of an action movie, Mike Dragich—Marine veteran, MMA fighter , and licensed alligator trapper—was captured on video wrestling a massive alligator barefoot on a busy Jacksonville highway. Known online as the " Blue Collar Brawler ," Dragich sprang into action when the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office reported a gator wandering between lanes on I-95 and I-295. Armed with just a pole and his bare hands, he skillfully maneuvered the thrashing reptile onto the shoulder, muzzled it, and, with assistance, loaded it into a pickup truck—all while traffic sped by. Dragich's daring feat, shared widely on social media, isn't his first viral encounter; he's previously been filmed capturing alligators in various Florida locales, including near an elementary school. Beyond his reptilian wrangling, Dragich runs Project Savior Outdoors , a nonprofit dedicated to combating veteran suicide through outdoor activities. A Marine veteran and mixed martial arts fighter, Dragich has gained a large following on social media by sharing videos of himself catching alligators across Florida, often barefoot, USA Today reported. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 3 Reasons to Plug This Into Your Home Today elecTrick - Save upto 80% on Power Bill Learn More Undo The video is being hugely shared on social media. "That's awesome where do you train?," writes one user. "Am I the only one who noticed the alligator must've been so afraid it pissed itself?," another said. "The fact that there are so many alligators just on the roadways is slightly alarming," wrote a third user. While Dragich makes it look effortless, wildlife experts caution against attempting such feats, emphasizing the importance of professional intervention when dealing with wild animals. Watch the video here: Florida man meme The term 'Florida Man' has become internet legend, thanks to a never-ending stream of bizarre, wild, and often hilarious news headlines featuring men from the Sunshine State doing the unthinkable. From wrestling alligators in traffic to robbing stores with a live iguana, Florida Man stories are equal parts shocking and entertaining. He's unpredictable, fearless (sometimes foolishly so), and always trending. While these headlines might seem unreal, they reflect Florida's unique mix of swamps, heat, and eccentric personalities. Whether he's a hero or a headline-maker, Florida Man has secured his place as the internet's favorite chaotic character.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
Watch: Barefoot Florida man wrangles alligator from side of busy interstate
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – If you've never seen a barefoot man wrestle an alligator from the side of a Florida interstate, look no further. Video captured on Sunday in Jacksonville shows a local alligator wrangler barefoot corralling a large gator from the median of Interstate 95. At the start of the video, the Blue Collar Brawler runs up to an alligator sitting in the grassy median of the highway, as cars zoom past. Watch: Deputies Wrangle Alligator Outside A Florida High School The barefoot man, holding a pole to snare the reptile, attempts to catch it a few times as the angry alligator snaps at him. After snaring the alligator with the pole, the Blue Collar Brawler drags the alligator onto the side of the interstate. The creature flips and rolls a few times in an effort to be freed from the snare pole's grasp. The brawler gets a good grip on the reptile before holding its snout shut and securing it closed. Florida Man Evades Alligator In Lake To Save Injured American Bald Eagle "If you were cruising down I-95/I-295 on the Southside yesterday and thought you saw a barefoot man wrestling a giant alligator in the median – nope, your eyes weren't playing tricks on you. That really happened," the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post. In the next cut of the video, the brawler and a Florida Fish and Wildlife officer pick up the massive alligator and load it onto the back of a truck. "Never in my wildest dreams," someone from behind the camera says, as the Blue Collar Brawler laughs. At the end of the video, the Blue Collar Brawler jokingly waves traffic on by, as if to say, "nothing to see here." "Just another totally normal day in the Sunshine State," the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said in the Facebook post. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Highway Patrol and the Blue Collar Brawler collaborated to apprehend the article source: Watch: Barefoot Florida man wrangles alligator from side of busy interstate
USA Today
29-04-2025
- USA Today
Watch barefoot Florida man wrangle alligator on I-95: 'Never in my wildest dreams'
Watch barefoot Florida man wrangle alligator on I-95: 'Never in my wildest dreams' Show Caption Hide Caption 'Blue Collar Brawler' helps catch gator on Jacksonville highway The Blue Collar Brawler, Mike Dragich, helped wrangle a large gator in the median along I-95/I-295 in Jacksonville. (Courtesy: Blue Collar Brawler.) Fox - 13 News A barefoot man was filmed wrestling a large alligator on I-95 near Jacksonville, Florida. The man, identified as Mike Dragich, is a social media personality known as the "Blue Collar Brawler." Dragich, a Marine veteran and MMA fighter, has a large following for his alligator-wrestling videos. Alligator attacks on humans are rare, but experts advise keeping a safe distance and running in a straight line if pursued. Just another day in Florida? A barefoot man was captured on video wrestling a giant alligator on Interstate 95 near Jacksonville. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office teamed up with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Highway Patrol, and a local alligator wrangler after the gator was spotted recently in the median of I-95/I-295 in Jacksonville's Southside area. 'If you were cruising down I-95/I-295 on the Southside yesterday and thought you saw a barefoot man wrestling a giant alligator in the median — nope, your eyes weren't playing tricks on you. That happened,' the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office wrote in a Facebook post. In the video, the man can be seen using a pole to engage the gator, who snaps and whips its tail at him in a grassy median as cars speed by on either side. He wrangles it onto the shoulder of the highway, then sits on its back to muzzle the beast — all while shoeless, wearing camouflage shorts and a sleeveless camo shirt. Eventually, the man and a responder lift the gator off the shoulder of the roadway and load it into the back of a pickup truck. "Never in my wildest dreams," an off-camera voice says, as the gator wrangler laughs. Who is Mike Dragich, the 'Blue Collar Brawler' and alligator wrangler? The man who helped authorities wrangle the massive gator on I-95 is Mike Dragich, better known as the Blue Collar Brawler on social media, according to With more than 364,000 followers on Instagram, Dragich has built a following by posting videos of himself hunting and wrestling alligators across Florida. Goodbye, gator: 'It tore us all up': Residents band together to mourn Walter, the neighborhood alligator Dragich, who's also an mixed martial arts fighter and a Marine veteran, seems to enjoy barefoot brawling inside and outside the octagon: According to he wrestled another gator on Easter Sunday. In an April 20, post, Dragich's Instagram shows video of him coaxing an angry alligator into a large trash can, quickly closing the lid as the animal snaps its massive jaws, and then wheeling the creature away. "Taking the trash out in Florida," the caption reads. He explains that a resident letting her dog out noticed a long tail on the patio. He "improvised using a trash can" to remove the gator. "Thankfully, no animals or people were injured!" he wrote, cautioning, "Pay attention to your surroundings!" What to do if you encounter an alligator Alligators are common in Florida, as well as in southern Texas, Louisiana, and parts of North and South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, according to Defenders of Wildlife. They can move quickly in water, and while they're generally slower on land, they're can still be quick — and dangerous to humans and other animals. Attacks on humans, though, are rare: "With how many people there are and how many alligators there are, it's really surprising it doesn't happen more often," Frank Mazzotti, professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Florida, told USA TODAY in 2022. Alligators breed and seek out new habitats in spring and summer, but they have a natural fear of humans and will usually retreat when approached, seeing humans as neither threat nor food, Mazzotti said. They only attack when threatened or cornered, especially on land. So experts advise avoiding waterways where alligators might be present. Maintaining a distance of at least 30 feet from an alligator is best, as they can run fast in short spurts. If an alligator chases you, experts from the University of Florida say to run in a straight line. In the event of an attack, poke at its eyes, and punch and kick around its face and head. The gator's gag reflex can be induced by jamming objects in the back of its mouth, so when it tries to reposition prey, that affords an opportunity to escape. "If you should be attacked, fight like your life depends on it because it does," Mazzoti said. Diamond Walker is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at dkwalker@
