Joe Solecki (born August 27, 1993) is an American professional mixed martial artist. Solecki currently competes in the Lightweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Joe Solecki
Born (1993-08-27) August 27, 1993 (age 31)
Wenonah, New Jersey, United States[1]
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb)
DivisionLightweight
Reach70 in (178 cm)[2]
Fighting out ofWilmington, North Carolina, United States
TeamTeam Balance[3]
Gym-O (2017–present)[3]
RankBlack belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under John Hassett[4]
Years active2016–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total18
Wins13
By submission9
By decision4
Losses5
By knockout2
By decision3
Websitejoesolecki.com
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background

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Solecki began training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the age of 6. Joe states:

“I got into BJJ at age 6 by accident, I wanted to do karate like the power rangers. My parents sent my brother for a year or two at first, but we ended up enrolling in a school where the instructor had begun training BJJ and he switched the entire curriculum to grappling by the time I signed up”.[5]

Mixed martial arts career

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Early career

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Solecki started his professional as a pretty accomplished amateur with a 5–0 record. With all of those 5 amateur wins coming via submission or TKO. In his MMA debut at CFFC 61, he submitted Chris Rollins via rear-naked choke in the first round. Solecki also tapped out Andrew Cherico at CFFC 62 and Kevin Perez at CFFC 63, respectively. Although Joe was on an 8 fight win streak, that came to an end when he faced Cesar Balmaceda. That fight went Cesar’s way via unanimous decision. He defeated Eric Calderon via TKO in round one at Warfare MMA 16. Then at CFFC 69, Solecki submitted Johnson Jajoute in the first round via rear-naked choke. He then came up against Nikolas Motta and unfortunately Solecki lost this fight via a finish. He tapped out Gilbert Patrocinio via triangle choke in round one at ROC 66. At CFFC 73, Solecki defeated Jacob Bohn via unanimous decision. In the main event of Dana White's Contender Series 19 on July 9, 2019, Solecki submitted James Wallace in the first round to pick up his sixth submission win as a professional along with a UFC contract.[6][7][8]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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Solecki made his UFC debut against veteran Matt Wiman on December 7, 2019, at UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik.[9] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[10]

Solecki was expected to face Austin Hubbard on June 20, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Volkov.[11] However, at the last minute, Solecki was replaced by promotional newcomer Max Rohskopf.[12]

The bout with Hubbard was rescheduled on August 22, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Munhoz vs. Edgar.[13] Solecki won the fight by submission in the first round.[14]

Solecki faced Jim Miller on April 10, 2021, at UFC on ABC: Vettori vs. Holland.[15] He won the bout via unanimous decision.[16]

Solecki faced Jared Gordon on October 2, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 193.[17] He lost the fight via split decision.[18]

Solecki faced Alex da Silva Coelho on June 4, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 207.[19] He won the bout via majority decision after a point deduction was given to da Silva due to repeatedly locking his toes in the fence.[20]

Solecki was scheduled to face Benoît Saint-Denis on February 18, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 219.[21] However, Saint-Denis withdrew from the bout citing ankle injury.[22] He was replaced by promotional newcomer Carl Deaton III and the bout was moved to UFC Fight Night 220 a week later.[23] Solecki won the fight via technical submission in round two.[24] This win earned him the Performance of the Night bonus.[25]

Solecki faced Drakkar Klose on December 2, 2023 at UFC on ESPN 52.[26] He lost the fight via knockout in round one.[27]

Solecki faced Grant Dawson on June 1, 2024, at UFC 302.[28] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[29]

Professional grappling career

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Solecki represented Alliance Fighting Championship at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 2 on July 3, 2022.[30] He lost his only match against Dan Manasoiu and the team were knocked out in the opening round.[31]

Solecki submitted Michael Porter with a guillotine choke at Fight 2 Win 248 on March 8, 2024.[32]

Solecki competed against Peter Fazekas at Fury Pro Grappling 11 on November 2, 2024. He won the match by submission.[33]

Championships and accomplishments

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Personal life

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Solecki and his wife Kacey, have a daughter, born 2020.[34]

Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
18 matches 13 wins 5 losses
By knockout 0 2
By submission 9 0
By decision 4 3
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 13–5 Grant Dawson Decision (unanimous) UFC 302 June 1, 2024 3 5:00 Newark, New Jersey, United States
Loss 13–4 Drakkar Klose KO (slam) UFC on ESPN: Dariush vs. Tsarukyan December 2, 2023 1 1:41 Austin, Texas, United States
Win 13–3 Carl Deaton III Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Muniz vs. Allen February 25, 2023 2 4:55 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Performance of the Night.
Win 12–3 Alex da Silva Coelho Decision (majority) UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik June 4, 2022 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Coelho was deducted one point in round 2 for repeatedly locking his toes in the fence.
Loss 11–3 Jared Gordon Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Walker October 2, 2021 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 11–2 Jim Miller Decision (unanimous) UFC on ABC: Vettori vs. Holland April 10, 2021 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 10–2 Austin Hubbard Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC on ESPN: Munhoz vs. Edgar August 22, 2020 1 3:51 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 9–2 Matt Wiman Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik December 7, 2019 3 5:00 Washington, D.C., United States
Win 8–2 James Wallace Technical Submission (guillotine choke) Dana White's Contender Series 19 July 9, 2019 1 3:49 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 7–2 Jacob Bohn Decision (unanimous) CFFC 73 March 2, 2019 3 5:00 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Win 6–2 Gilbert Patrocinio Submission (triangle choke) Ring of Combat 66 November 16, 2018 1 2:37 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Loss 5–2 Nikolas Motta KO (punches) 864 Fighting Championship 5 July 21, 2018 3 1:08 Greenville, South Carolina, United States Catchweight (159 lb) bout.
Win 5–1 Johnson Jajoute Submission (rear-naked choke) CFFC 69 December 16, 2017 1 3:23 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win 4–1 Eric Calderon Submission (rear-naked choke) Warfare MMA 16 August 19, 2017 1 1:14 North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, United States
Loss 3–1 Cesar Balmaceda Decision (unanimous) CFFC 65 May 20, 2017 3 5:00 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Win 3–0 Kevin Perez Submission (rear-naked choke) CFFC 63 February 18, 2017 1 1:08 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win 2–0 Andrew Chirico Submission (rear-naked choke) CFFC 62 December 17, 2016 1 2:07 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Win 1–0 Chris Rollins Submission (rear-naked choke) CFFC 61 October 29, 2016 1 2:48 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Lightweight debut.

[35]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "BJJ Athletes – Joe Solecki Biography Interview", BJJ Tribes, August 18, 2020. Accessed February 28, 2023. "Joe Solecki is a BJJ black belt and professional MMA fighter in the UFC. He resides in Wilmington, NC but originally hails from Wenonah, NJ and has been training BJJ since the age of 6 years old."
  2. ^ "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  3. ^ a b Bob Meloni (November 2018). "Joe Solecki (5-2) bringing his skills to Ring of Combat for the first time". mymmanews.com.
  4. ^ @BalanceMMA (October 16, 2017). "Congrats to Joe Solecki (@joesolecki) for becoming #TeamBalance's newest black belt in #bjj under the teams first black belt John Hassett.…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  5. ^ "BJJ Athletes - Joe Solecki Biography Interview". BjjTribes. 18 August 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  6. ^ "Contender Series Season 3, Week 3 Results: All Five Fighters Earn Contracts". Combat Press. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  7. ^ Shatwell, Mason (22 February 2021). "Joe Solecki: Fighters At A Glance". Sporting Ferret. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  8. ^ Painter, Myles (15 June 2020). "Across the Pond Profile: UFC fighter Joe Solecki | MMA UK". MMAUK. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  9. ^ Redactie (2019-09-19). "Matt Wiman meets UFC debutant Joe Solecki during UFC Washington". mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2019-09-19.(in Dutch)
  10. ^ Doherty, Dan (2019-12-07). "UFC DC Results: Joe Solecki Mops Floor With Matt Wiman". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  11. ^ "UFC adds Austin Hubbard vs. Joe Solecki to June 20 lineup". MMA Junkie. 2020-06-04. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
  12. ^ John Morgan and Nolan King (2020-06-14). "Max Rohskopf agrees to face Austin Hubbard at UFC on ESPN 11". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
  13. ^ DNA, MMA (2020-08-06). "BREAKING: Austin Hubbard vs. Joe Solecki opnieuw geboekt voor 22 augustus in Las Vegas". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  14. ^ Evanoff, Josh (2020-08-22). "UFC Vegas 7 Results: Joe Solecki Quickly Taps Austin Hubbard with Standing RNC". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-08-23.
  15. ^ DNA, MMA (2021-03-03). "MMA veteraan Jim Miller keert terug op 10 april tegen Joe Solecki tijdens UFC evenement". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  16. ^ Doherty, Dan (2021-04-10). "UFC Vegas 23 Results: Joe Solecki Controls Jim Miller". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
  17. ^ "UFC books lightweight matchup between Jared Gordon and Joe Solecki for October event". MMA Junkie. 2021-06-07. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
  18. ^ Behunin, Alex (2021-10-02). "UFC Vegas 38 Results: Jared Gordon Hands Joe Solecki First UFC Loss". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  19. ^ Cruz, Guilherme (2022-04-26). "Joe Solecki vs. Alex da Silva booked for June 4 UFC Fight Night event". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  20. ^ Anderson, Jay (2022-06-04). "UFC Vegas 56: Point Deduction Leads to Majority Decision in Joe Solecki vs. Alex da Silva". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
  21. ^ "UFC: Benoît Saint-Denis de retour dans la cage le 18 février contre Solecki". RMC SPORT (in French). Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  22. ^ "UFC: Benoît Saint-Denis forfait pour son combat du 18 février". RMC SPORT (in French). Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  23. ^ Alexander K. Lee (2023-02-16). "UFC Fight Roundup: Chris Barnett vs. Chase Sherman heavyweight tilt set for UFC 287". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
  24. ^ Bitter, Shawn (2023-02-25). "UFC Vegas 70: Joe Solecki Chokes Out Debuting Carl Deaton III". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
  25. ^ a b Matt Erickson (26 February 2023). "UFC Fight Night 220 bonuses: All finishers get $50,000 in Las Vegas". mmajunkie.usatoday.com.
  26. ^ Nag, Sayan (2023-09-26). "Joe Solecki to Meet Drakkar Klose at UFC Fight Night on Dec. 2". Sherdog. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  27. ^ Theodosi, Jamie (2023-12-02). "UFC Austin: Drakkar Klose Scores Huge Slam KO Against Joe Solecki". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  28. ^ Martin, Damon (2024-03-12). "Grant Dawson vs. Joe Solecki booked for UFC 302, card targeted for Newark". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  29. ^ Dewar, Val (2024-06-02). "UFC 302: Grant Dawson Smothers Joe Solecki in Wrestling vs BJJ Duel". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  30. ^ Lindsey, Alex (26 June 2022). "UFC Fight Pass Invitational Announces Teams For Second Event". Jitsmagazine. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  31. ^ "UFC Fight Pass Invitational 2 Full Results And Review". Jitsmagazine. 4 July 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  32. ^ "Fight 2 Win 248 Full Results And Review". Jitsmagazine. 9 March 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  33. ^ "Fury Pro Grappling 11 Full Results". Jits Magazine. 3 November 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  34. ^ Thomas Gerbasi (January 5, 2021). "Joe Solecki Gained A New Perspective". Ultimate Fighting Championship.
  35. ^ Sherdog.com. "Joe Solecki". Sherdog. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
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