By Julie Pike, Staff Writer
With new teachers and staff circulating through Indian Trail High School & Academy this year come new security guards. The student body takes note of security as guards stand by the doorways during school, and students skirt around them when wandering halls without a pass. These peacekeepers run to stop fights and lean up against walls sipping Diet Coke. Student eyes flit from one guard to another while texting friends at lunch under the table.
This year, there’s a new rumor that one of the security guards is an actual Mixed Martial Arts fighter.
It’s one of those wild Indian Trail rumors that actually is true. Meet Jameel Massouh, a professional MMA fighter that teaches Seminar and makes sure kids don’t get too rambunctious. He holds a featherweight title in Stockholm, Sweden, and has traveled around the world for his career.
“I think word has gotten around, I think most of my students know. I don’t go around trying to tell a bunch of people,” Massouh said. He’s been in three nationally televised fights, lived in Japan for six months, and fought top competitors.
“It’s a job. The people I work for pay to send me to nice places. It has really helped me grow as a person,” Massouh said.
He imparts how different cultures can be around the world in contrast to growing up in Kenosha. Massouh tacks that on to why he loves fighting. The Indian Trail alum practiced karate in high school and grew to become more serious about MMA in college.
“It’s the science of it. It’s probably the most complex sport in the world. You’re always measuring yourself against the opponent. I’ve fought 36 times, and no two opponents have ever been the same,” said Massouh. “The only person you have to blame for a loss is yourself, and to me, I find that challenge rewarding.”
And it is a challenge. He holds the title for the featherweight championship belt against Usama Aziz, a former two-time Olympian Greco-Roman wrestler and boxer for the Swedish National Boxing Team. Massouh has had multiple injuries as a fighter, including a broken hand and a separated shoulder.
Then there’s the question everyone wants to know. How does being an MMA fighter help you deal with tough kids here at school? Massouh laughs before giving his reply.
“I’d never want to use anything on a student. I don’t believe in violence,” he said. “I’ve never been in a fight outside of the sport where I wasn’t getting paid. There’s no need for it. But I will say one thing — doing this has given me a lot of confidence.”
Massouh’s MMA background helps him to relate students. MMA has become very popular lately; kids don TapouT shirts and Chuck Liddell has become a household name. But in his advice for aspiring fighters, Massouh suggests having a backup plan. Massouh has followed his own advice. He majored in history and secondary education at Trinity International University’s School of Education. He is certified to teach history in Wisconsin and Illinois, and ultimately wants to pursue that profession.
Meanwhile, Massouh will be defending his featherweight title in the near future, and possibly be traveling to Brazil to compete.
“I’ve fought against the top guys and even for me, it’s hard to make a living out of it. There’s really no room to make a living unless you’re an absolute superstar,” Massouh said. “When it came down to it, I want to be a teacher.”
Massouh remembers what it was like to be in high school. In fact, he graduated from Indian Trail Academy, several years before construction of the comprehensive high school began.
“I appreciated all of the help and inspiration my own teachers gave me,” he said.
Some of those very same teachers are still at Indian Trail.
“As a result, I am doing everything I can to become a full-time history teacher when the opportunity presents itself because I also want to help students find success and happiness in their lives,” he said.