Aaron Chalmers announces retirement from MMA

Photo by James Chance/Getty Images

British TV personality and former Bellator fighter Aaron Chalmers has retired from MMA. Former Geordie Shore star and Bellator welterweight Aaron Chalmers has retired from MMA and will …


BAMMA 31 - London
Photo by James Chance/Getty Images

British TV personality and former Bellator fighter Aaron Chalmers has retired from MMA.

Former Geordie Shore star and Bellator welterweight Aaron Chalmers has retired from MMA and will be making a transition to boxing after changing gyms and ditching alcohol from his lifestyle.

The 33-year-old announced his retirement from MMA on Thursday after celebrating being six months sober.

“Today is a big day for me,” Chalmers said on Instagram (h/t MMA Fighting). “I am six months sober, six months in total, exactly half a year since my last week. I set out to do one month off the drink to sort myself out because I was sitting at nearly 90 kilos, drinking every day, and I said to myself that I need to change. So I said I would have one month off and now the plan is to have a whole year.”

“I’m at a new gym with amazing people around us, everyone’s got the same mindset,” Chalmers said. “We’ve left MMA behind. MMA is now a thing of the past. We’re on to a new challenge, a new target, a new goal, and I couldn’t be happier.

“Anxiety is non-existent. I don’t have the fear when you wake up after drinking beer, so it’s been—I wouldn’t even say it’s been a long six months, because it’s been pretty easy. I literally put my mind to it, I put my mind to it six months ago, I switched to a new gym four months ago, and that was the game-changer. Being around people who are superior athletes, is the only way to put them, has just put my mindset to just train, train, train and be healthy.”

“We’re putting MMA behind and focusing on a new goal,” Chalmers said. “So roll on the next six months and keep your eyes tuned because there’s gonna be some news coming, hopefully very soon.”

Chalmers retires with a professional record of 5-2 in MMA and having won the majority of his bouts via first-round stoppage.