UFC on ESPN 15: Joe Solecki post-fight interview
UFC on ESPN 15: Joe Solecki post-fight interview
UFC on ESPN 15: Joe Solecki post-fight interview
Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
UFC on ESPN 15: Joe Solecki post-fight interview
UFC on ESPN 15: Joe Solecki post-fight interview
A lightweight matchup between Austin Hubbard and Joe Solecki is the latest addition to the UFC’s Aug. 22 event.
A lightweight matchup is the latest addition to the UFC’s Aug. 22 lineup.
[autotag]Austin Hubbard[/autotag](12-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) will face [autotag]Joe Solecki[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in an event which is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
MMA Junkie confirmed the booking with two people with knowledge of the situation. The people requested anonymity because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Elevation Fight Team’s Hubbard has split his first four UFC appearances. The former LFA lightweight champion was initially scheduled to face Solecki on June 20, but Solecki withdrew and was replaced by Max Rohskopf. Hubbard stopped Rohskopf in Round 2, after Rohskopf declined to come out for the final round, which resulted in a TKO victory for Hubbard.
Solecki punched his ticket to the UFC through “Dana White’s Contender Series” in July 2019, scoring a first-round submission over James Wallace. He made good on his promotional debut by defeating veteran Matt Wiman via unanimous decision last December.
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With the addition, the current lineup for UFC’s Aug. 22 card includes:
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Joe Solecki won’t be fighting on June 20.
[autotag]Joe Solecki[/autotag] won’t be fighting at UFC on ESPN 11.
In an Instagram post Saturday, Solecki (9-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC), a UFC lightweight, announced his removal from his scheduled fight June 20 against [autotag]Austin Hubbard[/autotag] at UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Solecki, 26, did not specify the exact reason he won’t be fighting. However, Solecki indicated the reason is one that was outside of his control.
“I am beyond disappointed to announce that, due to reasons beyond my control, I have been forced to (withdraw) from next week’s fight,” Solecki wrote. “I hopped in a fight camp at the end of March to be ready for a fight when it came up and was beyond prepared for the 20th. Unfortunately, it isn’t our plans that prevail sometimes. All I can do is recover, get back in the gym as soon as I am able to, and work harder to get back in the UFC octagon as soon as possible.”
No replacement opponent has been announced for Hubbard at this time.
With Solecki out, the UFC on ESPN 11 lineup now includes:
MAIN CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET)
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The UFC has added a fight between Austin Hubbard and Joe Solecki for its upcoming event on June 20, expected to take place in Las Vegas.
Lightweights are the latest addition to the UFC’s June 20 schedule.
The promotion has added a fight between [autotag]Austin Hubbard[/autotag] and [autotag]Joe Solecki[/autotag] for the event later this month.
Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the booking Thursday, but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
The event is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas pending Nevada Athletic Commission approval at a meeting scheduled for Monday.
Hubbard (11-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has bookended his lone UFC win with two losses. After losing his short-notice debut to Davi Ramos, Hubbard defeated Kyle Prepolec at UFC on ESPN+ 16 this past September. In March, Hubbard lost a unanimous decision to Mark Madsen at UFC 248.
After earning a UFC contract, Solecki (9-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) won his promotional debut this past December against Matt Wiman. In nine career wins, Solecki has seven finishes. He is currently riding a four-fight winning streak.
The current June 20 lineup includes:
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Take a look inside Joe Solecki’s unanimous decision win over Matt Wiman at UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON – [autotag]Joe Solecki[/autotag] beat Matt Wiman with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington, D.C.
Take a look inside the fight with Solecki, who picked up a dominant win over a veteran in his UFC debut.
Result: Joe Solecki def. Matt Wiman via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
Updated records: Solecki (9-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Wiman (16-9 MMA, 10-7 UFC)
Key stat: Solecki landed four takedowns and outstruck Wiman by a heavy 177-20 margin.
“I had a 10-8 round in the beginning, pushed through adversity in the second, and never really got tired. This was the best thing for me – fighting a vet, going three rounds, even the trash talk. I felt like a seasoned vet in there and I will only take confidence from that. ”
“(My) first UFC win feels amazing. I was a little worried about UFC jitters and all that, especially fighting a vet like Matt, but I honestly never felt better. Fighting on Dana White’s Contender Series absolutely helped prepare me for this. If you’re going to have an adrenaline dump, it’s when you’re fighting in front of the three most important people in this business. Dana wasn’t even at this one, and I had a ton of supporters here, so I was set. I lost sleep over this, I’ve only been to two decisions and lost one of them. Tonight, I dominated.”
“I think the future is bright. I want to make it through this first contract, get to the next, and treat my wife to all of the things she’s earned in this life. I do this for sure and to provide for our family, so whoever is next, bring them on.”
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Fighters from around the globe dream of the day they’ll step into the octagon the first time – so how did the newcomers perform on Saturday?
Fighters from around the globe dream of the day they’ll step into the UFC octagon for the first time. For four athletes, Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 7 event marked that special moment in their career.
Check out this week’s rookie report to see what kind of first impression those fighters made on the sport’s biggest stage from Capital One Arena in Washington D.C.
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Division: Strawweight
Result: Virna Jandiroba def. Mallory Martin via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:16
Record: (6-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Grade: C+
[autotag]Mallory Martin[/autotag] came in on short notice to face former Invicta FC champ Virna Jandiroba at Saturday’s card, so it’s easy to write off some of her shortcomings – and while she didn’t look fantastic in her UFC debut, let’s not forget that Jandiroba came into this contest ranked No. 11 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie strawweight rankings.
In short, the deck was stacked against Martin, a four-time Invicta FC veteran who also owns a win under the Dana White’s Contender Series banner, as well. To her credit, Martin tried to make the fight exciting, flashing her impressive striking skills during the brief moments she remained upright. But Jandiroba’s perfectly timed takedowns saw her get to the floor early and often, and once she got on the back, the Brazilian’s submission attack was sublime.
Stylistically, there are better matchup available for Martin in the division, so she’ll hope for someone looking to strike in her next time out. A proper training camp will likely help, as well, so while she didn’t necessarily look phenomenal in her debut, don’t close the book on Martin just yet.
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Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 7 event in Washington, D.C.
While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.
Inside, see what the fighters from UFC on ESPN 7 went with as their backing tracks in Washington, D.C.