Solak was born in Ankara to a working class family with 5 children, hailing from Yozgat. His family emigrated to Australia when he was five and Solak grew up in the Northern Melbourne suburb of Brunswick among the Turkish community and in a crowded family. He started his martial arts training in taekwondo under Jemal Hasan and achieved the rank of 4th dan. He later pursued a career in kickboxing and became a gym manager.