UFC

The Cannabis Chronicles: Joe Solecki

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Joe Solecki is an 8-2 lightweight MMA fighter out of Wilmington, NC. Solecki will be making his UFC debut on December 8th at UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington D.C. He will be fighting UFC veteran Matt Wiman. This comes after winning a contract on Dana White’s contender series this past summer. Extremely skilled on the ground, six of Solecki’s eight pro wins are via submission. MMA Sucka recently talked with Solecki about his opinion on cannabis use in the sport of MMA.

What Experience Does Joe Solecki Have With Cannabis?

Solecki started the interview by saying, he does not have a crazy amount of experience with cannabis. In fact, he has never used marijuana and he only used CBD oil in one of his fight camps. Saying that while he did feel good during that camp, he just doesn’t know enough about it to be able to explain any kind of difference. Marijuana is somewhat of a common thing for the younger kids of today’s day, so MMASucka asked Solecki what in his life does he think kept him away from trying it. Solecki’s reply was simply, “I have never tried it. Between my parents, my first coach, John Hassett, and my teammates at Hassett’s BJJ, i was just always encouraged to remain focused on my goals.”

Marijuana The “Performance Enhancer”

MMA Sucka asked Solecki if he felt like cannabis should be considered a performance enhancer. His response was, “I have zero experience with marijuana, but in my opinion, if my opponent wants to smoke something, i welcome that. I’m old school, but i believe it wouldn’t help their cardio at all, if anything would hurt it.” Also commenting on CBD by saying, “I do think CBD helps a good bit, but not as an enhancer. Just as well as any other recovery method. (Ice, compression, massage, ect.).”

How Does Joe Solecki Feel About Actual Performance Enhancers?

MMASucka brought up the Diaz/Silva situation again. Asking Solecki what he thought about the way USADA handles marijuana users vs. how they handle steroid users. Solecki said “I truly feel like steroid suspension should be far more strict then anything else. Especially in a sport where you could permanently injure someone.” He also states that he believes USADA is doing their best to clean up the sport. When asked about the punishments for PED violators, Solecki said, “I don’t care what my opponents take. I just hate that young fans may be looking up to cheaters.”

Favorite “Stoner Movie”

Although Solecki has never tried marijuana, you don’t have to be a stoner to watch stoner movies right? When asked what his favorite stoner movie was, Solecki said, “I absolutely loved “This Is the End.” I thought it was super underrated! I count that as that kind of movie considering it’s James Franco and Seth Rogan.    

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My name is Michael Lynch. I’m originally from Long Island, NY, but I reside in Columbia, Sc. I’ve been covering MMA for almost two years now. I’ve covered events such as Island fights and the PFL. I also have a YouTube channel where I do fight companions and UFC fight previews. I have recently started to train in mma and would like to have my first fight in 2020. I believe that as a journalist I need to experience what these fighters go threw, in order to understand their POV.

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