Joe Solecki's Journey: From BJJ White Belt at Age 6 to the UFC

How a Lifetime on the Mat Led to the Octagon and Back to Gastonia

I get asked about my story a lot. People want to know how I went from a kid growing up on the mats to fighting in the UFC, and eventually opening my own academy in Gastonia. The short answer is: one step at a time, over a very long time. But the full story is a little more interesting than that.

This is the Joe Solecki BJJ story, from the very beginning.

Starting BJJ at Age 6

I started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu when I was six years old. I didn't pick it because I watched the UFC or thought it was cool. Honestly, at six, I barely understood what I was doing. My parents put me in classes, and I just kept showing up.

What I remember most about those early years is that I loved the problem-solving. Even as a kid, I was drawn to the chess match of grappling--figuring out how to escape, how to control, how to submit someone bigger or more athletic. It never felt like a chore. It felt like a game I couldn't stop playing.

That early start gave me something that I think a lot of fighters and coaches don't have: a deep, almost instinctive understanding of jiu jitsu. When you grow up with something, it becomes part of who you are. BJJ isn't just what I do. It's how I think.

Training Under John Hassett

A huge part of my development happened under my coach, John Hassett. He's the one who shaped me as a martial artist and, honestly, as a person. His coaching style was methodical, detail-oriented, and built on fundamentals. He didn't take shortcuts, and he didn't let me take them either.

Under John, I learned that the flashy stuff doesn't matter if your basics aren't bulletproof. That philosophy stuck with me through my entire career. Every submission I've ever hit in the cage traces back to a fundamental skill I drilled thousands of times as a teenager and young adult.

I earned my black belt under John Hassett in 2017. That belt represents over a decade of dedicated, consistent training. It wasn't given lightly, and I didn't receive it lightly. By the time I tied it on, I'd already been coaching for five years and competing at the highest levels I could find.

The Path to the UFC

After earning my black belt, I turned my attention fully to mixed martial arts. I'd been competing in MMA alongside my BJJ training for years, building a professional record and sharpening my striking, wrestling, and fight IQ.

The big break came when I was invited to Dana White's Contender Series. If you're not familiar, DWCS is essentially an audition for the UFC. You fight on the show, and if Dana White likes what he sees, you get a UFC contract. No guarantees, no safety net--just perform or go home.

I went out there and got the job done. I won my fight and earned that contract. It was the culmination of years of sacrifice, training camps, and putting everything on the line. That moment validated what I'd believed since I was a kid: if you commit to the process, the results come.

Inside the Octagon: 13 Fights, 9 Submissions

My UFC career spanned 13 fights with a 13-6 record across my professional MMA career, and I'm proud of every single one of them. Wins and losses--they all taught me something.

The stat I'm most proud of is the 9 submission victories. Nine times I finished a fight using the same techniques I teach every day in class. Rear naked chokes, guillotines, triangles--the fundamentals that John Hassett drilled into me as a teenager. They worked against the best fighters in the world, and they'll work for you too.

Fighting in the UFC taught me things you can't learn anywhere else:

Pressure testing is everything. A technique only matters if it works when someone is trying to take your head off. I bring that standard to every class I teach.
Preparation beats talent. I wasn't always the most athletic or the most talented guy in the cage. But I was always prepared. That's the difference.
You learn more from losses than wins. Every loss in my career forced me to confront a weakness and fix it. That mindset is central to how I coach.
The mental game is half the fight. Technique and conditioning get you to the cage. Mental toughness wins inside it.

If you want to watch some of my fights, check out our videos page to see what UFC-level jiu jitsu looks like in action.

Coaching Since 2012

Here's something people don't always realize: I've been coaching since 2012. That means I was teaching BJJ for over a decade before I retired from fighting. Coaching wasn't something I fell into after my fighting career ended. It was always part of who I am.

Even during my UFC career, I was on the mats teaching. Between fight camps, during recovery, on off-weeks--I was always coaching. I love the process of breaking down techniques, understanding why something works, and finding the right way to explain it to each individual student.

That's over 13 years of teaching experience, combined with competing at the highest level in the sport. When I tell you I understand how to make BJJ work for real people in real situations, it's because I've spent my entire life doing exactly that.

You can learn more about my coaching philosophy on the about page.

Opening Solecki Jiu Jitsu in Gastonia

When I retired from professional fighting in February 2025, I knew exactly what I wanted to do next. I wanted to build something of my own--a place where I could pass on everything I've learned to the next generation of martial artists and everyday people who want to improve their lives through jiu jitsu.

That's how Solecki Jiu Jitsu was born, right here in Gastonia, NC.

I chose Gastonia because I wanted to build a real community gym, not just another franchise. This area deserves world-class instruction, and that's exactly what we deliver. Whether you're a kid just starting out, an adult who's never done martial arts, or an experienced competitor looking to sharpen your game, we have a place for you.

Our programs are built around the same principles that carried me from white belt to black belt to the UFC:

Fundamentals first. Everything we teach is grounded in the basics. They're the basics for a reason--they work.
Attention to detail. I don't just show you a technique and walk away. I break down the why behind every movement so you understand what makes it effective.
Meet you where you are. Whether you're a hobbyist or a competitor, we adjust our coaching to your goals and skill level.
Community. We're building bonds on the mat that last far beyond the training session.

Our academy values--Community, Ownership, Resilience, Effort--are the same principles that got me through the hardest moments of my career. They're not just words on a wall. They're the standard we hold ourselves to every single day.

What My Journey Means for Your Training

Here's the real point of sharing all of this: my journey isn't just my story. It's the foundation of how I coach.

Every class at Solecki Jiu Jitsu is informed by decades of experience, from starting at six years old, to earning a black belt, to fighting in the UFC, to coaching thousands of hours on the mat. When I teach you a technique, it's not theory. It's something I've used, refined, and pressure-tested at the highest level.

But you don't need to have UFC aspirations to benefit from that experience. The same principles that work in the cage--preparation, fundamentals, mental toughness, adaptability--work for a 40-year-old professional learning self-defense, a teenager building confidence, or a kid developing discipline.

If you want to understand what Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is all about, or you're curious about what it's like to train with a UFC fighter, I've written about both of those topics in depth.

Come Train With Me

I didn't spend 25 years on the mat just to keep it all to myself. Everything I've learned--from the fundamentals to the fight-tested details that win at the highest level--I pour into every class at Solecki Jiu Jitsu.

Your first class is free. No pressure, no commitments. Just come in, get on the mat, and see what this is all about.

Whether you're in Gastonia or the surrounding area, I'd love to meet you and help you start your own jiu jitsu journey. Visit our contact page to schedule your free trial class today.