UK TV star Aaron Chalmers on MMA career: I’m not the most skilled fighter, but I’m a draw
BAMMA’s Aaron Chalmers gives an honest assessment of his stint in mixed martial arts.
After just three fights under the BAMMA banner, Geordie Shore’s Aaron Chalmers is already one of, if not the, most popular fighters on the European roster.
The 30-year-old welterweight prospect, who made his pro MMA debut earlier this year, knocked out London’s Karl Donaldson at the Metro Radio Arena in his hometown of Newcastle, England on Friday evening.
And Aaron Chalmers does it again! Boom. #BAMMANewcastle pic.twitter.com/MsHOQMZIrS
— BAMMA (@BAMMA) December 15, 2017
With three first-round finishes to his name, Chalmers has rallied the support of local fans but has come under fire from fellow fighters on the regional circuit.
Why wud I be jealous over Aaron from GS? Come on be serious, I’m a real mma fighter not doing it for show like he is am actually gonna do something in this sport if ur into fakes like him its sound just don’t talk about real mma fighters while ur nose is firmly up a fake1s bum
— Paddy Pimblett (@PaddyTheBaddy) December 19, 2017
Ppl who can defend themselves lad, anyone who has a clue about mma knows he’s fighting ppl who’ve never even trained! I’ve lost a lot of respect for so called “ukmma journalists” chatting out of there ass am not taking the truth about it!!
— Paddy Pimblett (@PaddyTheBaddy) December 17, 2017
Many fighters feel that Chalmers shouldn’t be co-headlining or headlining BAMMA events over other, more talented prospects due to his celebrity status, and ‘The Joker’ was candidly honest about his high-profile status in a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour.
"A lot of people say it comes down to jealousy," Chalmers said, per JOE.co.uk’s Darragh Murphy. "There are so many skilful fighters in the UK who should be on the show over me but they're not. And that's it.
"There are hundreds of fighters in the UK that are more skilled than me, hundreds. And I openly admit that but they haven't really got the pull on the social media side or press side as I have.”
Although Chalmers isn’t so popular amongst his fellow fighters, ‘The Joker’ believes his presence in MMA is good for BAMMA and the sport as a whole.
"The thing is, I use BAMMA as much as BAMMA use me. I get a fight on BAMMA because that's what I want to do, BAMMA reap the rewards of all the press that comes with it."
As for what’s next, the UK reality TV star would like to fight Bellator’s Kevin ‘Baby Slice’ Ferguson Jr. on a Bellator vs. BAMMA card.
"I think he's 2-1, I'm 3-0. I think we're both quite early in our career without an amateur record,” Chalmers said. “He's quite a big name in Bellator and well-known in America. I'm obviously well-known all over Europe because of Geordie Shore and BAMMA. Bellator and BAMMA do joint events so it kind of makes sense.
"I think it could happen. I'm 90 per cent sure it could happen. If you don't ask, you don't get."