Matt Wiman on where he's been, why he's back and what's at stake at UFC on ESPN 7

Matt Wiman reveals why he took nearly five years away from the UFC and where his goals stand going into UFC on ESPN 7.

WASHINGTON – Matt Wiman hopes the second chapter of his return to MMA competition is kinder to him than the first.

After being removed from the sport for nearly five years, Wiman (16-8 MMA, 10-6 UFC) made his return in June. He suffered a bloody third-round TKO loss to Luis Pena, taking a lopsided beating in the process.

Despite the decisive nature of the contest, Wiman felt compelled to keep going. He got a matchup with Joseph Solecki (8-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) on Saturday at UFC on ESPN 7, and he hopes for a different result.

“I don’t think you can claim a comeback until I win on Saturday; then you can claim a comeback,” Wiman told MMA Junkie. “I came back, I got beat up, and I’m actually grateful Pena reintroduced me to high-level fighting and challenged me to be resilient. I’m grateful to be here.

“It was painful. I was given a list of people coming off losses for this comeback. I said, ‘This is going to be challenging either way, I want someone with momentum.’ I took a big bite, and this is me still chewing.”

Wiman, 36, has remained relatively coy about why he took so much time away from the game. He fought 15 times in the UFC from 2006-2014, then he disappeared. With no social media presence and a shyness from the public, the reasons for Wiman stepping back from competition were largely unclear.

He indicated injuries were the culprit. He couldn’t train and was ready to give up on the sport for good, but then he got the courage to get back in the gym. It was then that Wiman realized he would be healthy enough to step in the octagon.

“As time went by, each day was kind of the door shutting a little bit more,” Wiman said. “I didn’t want to shut the door completely. I wanted to leave the door open, cracked, but it seems more farfetched as time went on. I didn’t really need anymore surgeries, and it was ‘piss or get off the pot’ time. Instead of questioning it, I showed up to the gym and gave it a proper try. I found out I can compete on the highest level.

“I had the opportunity I hadn’t had before with surgeries and outside obligations. Each day was a challenge. I thought each day might be my last like, ‘I’m not coming back to the gym.’ I managed to put a camp together, and yeah, I got beat up (last time), but I put my neck out there and I did it.”

After going through a second consecutive fight camp, Wiman admits he feels “less rusty” going into his matchup with Solecki, which takes place at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., and airs on ESPN.

Wiman said he can’t guarantee a winning result this time around, but he said he’s done everything he can to be in the best mental and physical space possible going into UFC on ESPN 7.

“The win is nice because it leaves a good taste in your mouth and it’s what we respect,” Wiman said. “No one respects the mentality of not going for the win. To survive, to compete, just to get by? That’s not what I respect. To go out there and beat the other person. That’s what I think I’m going to do and try to do. If we’re talking about coming back, it’s not just to win. It’s just to do a job.

“(I’m going to fight) as long as I can. I’d like to not take it to an unhealthy place. If I can compete at the highest level, I’m going to. If I can’t, we can talk about a next chapter.”