WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A man in Wilmington is preparing to fight in the largest mixed martial arts league in the world.
Joe Solecki is about to take the national stage in the Ultimate Fighting Championship for his sixth fight in the league.
The 29-year-old is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He trains at Port City MMA and Fitness in Wilmington representing Salty Dog Jiu-Jitsu.
“I started as a little kid and it was just martial arts. I wanted something with structure, my parents wanted me to do something with structure,” Solecki said. “I wasn’t very good honestly, so by not being good I think I kind of got obsessed and it became about how good can I actually get.”
After he and his wife fell on hard times, Solecki decided to give professional fighting in the UFC a chance. In 2019, he hopped on a plane to Las Vegas to compete on a reality show in front of the president of the league.
“It was either win that contract and this will be my career or come home and figure out how to do something else,” Solecki said. “We were super blessed where I was able to come out with the contract and this became my full-time career.”
Three years and some change later, he’s gearing up to fly to Vegas again. He’s taking what he’s learned with him and remaining grateful for the sport.
“You can learn from almost anybody and you never know when you’re going to meet somebody that will change your life,” Solecki said.
Joe Solecki is set to compete on February 25. His opponent will be Carl Deaton.