LAS VEGAS – Joe Solecki thinks drawing a name like Jim Miller is indicative that he’s on the right track.
Solecki (10-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) faces Miller (32-15 MMA, 21-14 UFC) in the featured prelim of Saturday’s UFC on ABC 2 card, which takes place at the UFC Apex and airs on ESPN and ESPN+ ahead of a main card on ABC.
With both fighters hailing from New Jersey, Solecki has watched Miller compete growing up and is excited for the opportunity to lock horns with the owner of the most fights in UFC history.
“As far as admiration and stuff, I’m from Jersey, so I’m a Jim Miller fan,” Solecki told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s UFC on ABC 2 media session at the UFC Apex. “I grew up a Jim Miller fan, so to be on this platform and fight somebody that I look up to so much, that really speaks to how far I’ve been able to come. So it’s pretty cool moment to be going out there – it just shows that I’m on the level of the guys I used to look up to, so a pretty big night for me.”
While Solecki may have admiration for Miller, he insists he’s not starstruck. The Dana White’s Contender Series standout drew UFC veteran Matt Wiman in his promotional debut, so he’s already gone through the experience of facing an established name, and he passed the test with flying colors.
“The way I see it, if I can go out there in my first UFC fight in front of the big crowd for the first time, bright lights and all that hoopla against a guy with so many fights like Wiman – Miller’s obviously a big step up from him, but I would assume a fight with Jim Miller at the Apex should be very similar,” Solecki said.
He continued, “I’ve been on the mat in jiu-jitsu with some of the best guys in the world when I was competing at that department, and same thing. I think when you go against these guys that have the big name, it’s maybe extra jitters leading up. But once you’re on the mat or in the cage, it’s going to kick in. We’re going to fight. So I don’t really have extra jitters this time around; it’s the same usual fight week.”
To see the full interview with Solecki, check out the video above.
Joe Solecki: Fighting Jim Miller at UFC on ABC 2 speaks to how far I’ve come