2 weeks Ago By Aaron Morris
Aaron Chalmers has revealed that bare-knuckle boxing saved him from the "slippery slope" of alcohol brought on by personal struggles. The 37-year-old Geordie Shore star is set to make his debut in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship this Saturday in Dubai, where he will face off against seasoned fighter Chasa Symonds. However, just a year ago, Chalmers was grappling with alcohol following a series of personal issues.
In an exclusive interview with Mirror Fighting ahead of his BKFC debut, Chalmers said: "So, I'm going to be honest right. I was on a bit of a slippery slope. 2023 was a good year, I had four fights, I was pretty active, I fought Floyd [Mayweather Jr] .
I had a bad knee injury but I still had three fights. "Everything was going in the right direction, and then after my last fight in November - a few days later my cousin died, who was literally my best mate, my brother. He passed away and I just went on a slippery slope.
I started drinking f***ing really, really badly. Drinking badly. "And then leading into 2024, my son.
..As I was trying to get myself back on the straight and narrow, my son went into hospital.
It was meant to be a routine head surgery, and he was in a coma and he was in Liverpool fighting for his life for eight weeks, and I just didn't deal with it." "I was just drinking, the only way to deal with losing my cousin and then that a couple of months after, I was just drinking. It came to August, I was still in limbo, I was not doing anything.
I was in limbo. I was trying to go in the gym and then I was getting to the weekend and I was drinking. I was having blow-outs.
" Chalmers opened up about his emotional turmoil after the loss of his cousin, Courtney Clift, who he considered his best friend. He commemorated Courtney's memory with a touching post on Instagram in November 2023, sharing how a "big hole" had been left in his life. In addition, he revealed struggles faced by his youngest son, Oakley, three, who was born with Apert Syndrome - a rare genetic condition impacting the skull, face, hands, and feet.
Battling through a challenging time with alcohol, Chalmers recounted how an unexpected message from the BKFC provided him with the motivation he needed to return to the gym and give up drinking for good. He explained: "Come August, I got a message off [BKFC UK president] Andrew Bakewell. The BKFC had said, 'We would love to have a chat', so I think it was Andrew first, then he put me in touch with David [Feldman].
So David Facetimed me, he was like, 'We would love to have you on and blah, blah, blah'. "He was like, 'Yeah, we'll get something sorted', then a couple of weeks went by so I just forgot about it. So I was hitting the drink again and he rang me and he said, 'Right Aaron, let's do it'.
Rang me, offered me a three-fight deal in the September. And that was the turning point, I haven't had a drink since I signed the contract. "I think I just needed something to kind of get me out of the dark place, and obviously the bare knuckle was that.
It hasn't been an easy road, we've had a fair few fights...
Like 'I'm fighting this date, it's not on, I'm fighting this date'. But I always think these things just happen for a reason, and here we are. "We're on a massive, massive weekend in Dubai.
But I would kind of like to thank David and Andrew and the BKFC, because, had they not have reached out at that time, f***ing who knows where I would have been. I was in a bit of a lost cause - was getting no boxing fights because I wasn't training, I wasn't doing any content. I wasn't doing f*** all.
"They reached out, and aye, like I say, I haven't had a drink since I signed that contract. So they kind of put me back on the straight and narrow. For me, I'm 37.
This is probably the last big, big chance on the big stage. I've had many a chance over the years, but I think this is the last big chance. "Obviously, they've got the massive partnership with DAZN, Conor McGregor .
So I think this is the last big shot at the big time, so I've been grafting my a*** off, and hopefully I can show that on fight night." Chalmers initially embarked on his combat sports journey while still featuring on Geordie Shore, with the MTV programme showcasing his move to Birmingham to train with ex-welterweight UFC champion Leon Edwards in preparation for his mixed martial arts debut. After achieving a 3-0 record in BAMMA, Chalmers transitioned to Bellator, improving his record to 5-2 before switching to the boxing world.
The Geordie made a successful start in June 2022, securing a points victory over Alexander Zeledon, before truly making his mark in 2023. That year, Chalmers faced off against Mayweather Jr, Kiefer Crosbie, Warren Spencer and Idris Virgo in the ring. Now, the Newcastle -upon-Tyne native is aiming for success with BKFC, with experienced veteran Symonds - who has an 18-9 record in traditional boxing - welcoming him to the promotion.
Speaking about his upcoming BKFC debut this weekend, Chalmers said: "He's very, very experienced. I don't really know too much about him. "From what I've seen, I know it's a bit of a dog fight.
Obviously this is going to be my first fight in 18 months so I'm excited. Everyone's like, 'You've never been hit with a bare knuckle,' and I'm thinking, 'I've been f***ing elbowed, I've been kicked, I've been kneed'. "When you're in there, you don't really feel it.
Like I say, I'm sure afterwards I'll feel it. Yeah, we're just preparing to be the best - the most fittest and the best I can be. But as for him, I try not to pay too much attention to what my opponent is doing, I just pay attention to what I'm doing.
We've got a game-plan and that's what we're working towards.".
