No fighting in school . . . but on a Saturday . . . off of school grounds . . . go for it.

March 14 Beaver Area senior Joe D’Itri fought Travis Frye in a live MMA bout at Sunny Days Arena in North Versailles, PA.

MMA fighting is a combination of different kinds of martial arts—MMA stands for Mixed Martial Arts. D’Itri said he would consider it a mix of Jiu Jitsu and kickboxing.

Frye is an unlikely match for D’Itri—he’s 28 years old, married, and has children.

D’Itri is an 18 year old emerging fighter.

I asked D’Itri a few background questions in the week leading up to his fight:

What sparked your interest in martial arts?

“When I was a kid, my Pap and I would watch WWE [wrestling] every time we were together. I wanted to grow up and be a wrestler.”

What got you started into training?

“I switched to watching UFC [Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts] and thought it looked more fun because it is real sparring as opposed to putting on a show.”

What are your goals? How far do you see yourself going?

“I am going to see how this fight goes and take it from there.”

Have you competed at this level before?

“No, this is my first fight outside of training.”

Where do you train?

“Gracie Barra Beaver County [Jiu Jitsu and Self Defence on Dutch Ridge Road].”

How often do you train?

“Five days a week.”

Are you concerned about risks/injuries?

“No, not really.”

Are your parents concerned about risks/injuries?

“My mom was nervous at first but she is more comfortable with it now, and my Dad isn’t worried. He’s confident in my abilities.”

Do you have people coming to support you at the fight?

“Yes, around 30 people.”

Is there a prize or do you just add this fight to your record?

“In amateur you fight for free, except you can get paid for ticket sales. So, if people buy tickets and write down that they’re there to see me, I get a percentage of the profit. Other than that the outcome just goes on my record.”

Does the number of people talking about the fight at school affect your mindset?

“No. When I am training I am not thinking about anything other than myself and my training and how I’ll perform. It doesn’t affect me.”

Have you been nervous this week?

“No,” he added then that the fight is always on his mind though.

What do you think the outcome of the fight will be?

“Utter domination.”

D’Itri fought fourth in a line-up of eight fights on the evening of Saturday March 14. A few days after the fight, here’s what he had to say:

Did you win?

“Yes, in the first round.”

D’Itri explained that in a standard fight there are three rounds, each round being two minutes long.

In his case though, he only needed one. D’Itri says he was expecting to battle it out for a full three rounds, that he “wasn’t expecting such a quick win.”

In the first round, D’Itri reversed Frye’s kick and takedown—pinning Frye as opposed to being pinned—and then delivered multiple hits to Frye’s body before getting him into a win-securing chokehold. Frye tapped out and D’Itri basked in his win.

How did you feel afterwards?

“It didn’t feel real or like I really went out and got in a fight because I didn’t even get hit in the face.”

D’Itri also mentioned that, because there wasn’t a release, he was overly charged with adrenaline and couldn’t fall asleep that night.

Did you talk to Frye afterwards?

“Yes. He was a lot nicer than I expected. We talked about how the fight went and wished each other luck for the future.”

Who was your biggest supporter there?

“If I am being honest I wasn’t hearing anything before or during the fight because of the adrenaline, but afterwards I could see my Dad was pumped.”

Aunts, uncles, and friends also showed up to support D’Itri. His grandpa—who he mentioned as a major inspiration—wasn’t at the match, but he got to see it and told D’Itri he “couldn’t believe [the win]” and that he was “so proud.”

What did you do to celebrate?

“My parents, my sister, my girlfriend, my girlfriend's family, and I all went to Cane’s.”

Do you think you’ll fight again?

“Definitely. I assume my next fight will be around the start of summer.”

Anything else you want to add?

“If you love something, go out and do it.”

D’Itri is not allowed to share the full video of his fight but he has some highlights posted on his Instagram—@jditri89.

Some of D’Itri’s classmates attended the fight and had plenty to share.

“Jojo is the most underrated fighter in Beaver Area’s history,” said sophomore Amir Jackson.

“Travis Frye is a cupcake, and he should keep working cause hard work pays off,” added sophomore Zach Lutton.

Senior supporter Bryan Adams said, “diamonds form under pressure; Joe got slammed, he was under pressure, now he’s a diamond.”

Sophomore Dylan Low was inspired by D’Itri’s performance: “Being an underdog doesn’t matter, look at Joe!” to which freshman James Pittser added: “Age is just a number.”

If you have an interesting second life outside of your career at Beaver Area High School—like Joe D’Itri or previously featured sword wielding Duncan Maloney—please let the ECHO know, we would love to feature you.