BJJ in Gastonia

Gastonia, the largest city west of Charlotte across the Catawba River in Gaston County, hosts **Solecki Jiu Jitsu Academy** — led by UFC veteran Joe Solecki, a BJJ black belt under John Hassett who started training at age 6 and earned his black belt in 2017 before fighting professionally in the UFC after winning his contract on Dana White's Contender Series. Solecki opened the academy in 2025 and runs Fundamental BJJ, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (Gi and No-Gi), and Kids BJJ (6-14) across 18+ classes weekly in morning, afternoon, and evening blocks. The Solecki Jiu-Jitsu system also serves as the BJJ curriculum at Fuzion Martial Arts in Charlotte (Justin Revak), giving Gastonia an outsized footprint in the broader metro through the affiliate network.