Aaron Chalmers unsure Corey Browning will honor ‘stand and bang’ agreement

MMAfighting.com

Aaron Chalmers has seemed cooler than the other side of the pillow in the lead-up to the biggest test of his MMA career.

The former Geordie Shore cast member makes his lightweight debut against Corey Browning this Saturday night at Bellator Newcastle, but his mood took a abrupt turn when he heard what his opponent had to say about him in a recent interview on MMA Fighting’s Eurobash podcast.

Browning, who shot to fame on the back of a second-round stoppage of Kevin Ferguson Jr. — a.k.a. “Baby Slice” — claimed that booking him against another person who was not “famous for fighting” was a mistake. The part that seemed to resonate most with Chalmers was Browning’s claim that he was tougher than anyone “The Joker” had faced at this point in his career.

“I don’t think Aaron Chalmers has ever fought someone with the general toughness that I have. He’s gonna be able to hit me and I’m not going to go down. I don’t know how he’s going to react to that,” said Browning.

Following Baby Slice win, Corey Browning sees Aaron Chalmers booking as a ‘mistake’

Chalmers later reached out to Browning and the duo made an agreement to stand and bang when the bell sounds in Newcastle.

Speaking on the latest episode of Eurobash, Chalmers revealed that hearing Browning criticize his ability has only motivated him ahead of their clash.

“I got wind that he had done an interview on the podcast with you and he was saying all the stuff that he obviously thinks of me, that I’m not going to put him away and I’m still going to be there when I hit him, which is all fair and good. But, obviously, hearing that gave me the kick up the arse. I was like, ‘If that’s what you’re thinking then here we go.’ So yeah, it did give me that extra boost,” Chalmers told Eurobash.

Although Browning has agreed to meet Chalmers in the middle of the cage and exchange, the Geordie knows that it could just be a ploy from the American to take him down.

“I think he’s going to be jumping in for takedowns, but you never know. I’ve seen a couple of his fights in the past and he does seem to stand and trade,” he said.

“Who knows, he could be trying to say, ‘I’m going to stand and bang,’ to let me think that and then shoot straight for a takedown, or he might just stand and bang. I really don’t know until I get in there. But wherever he wants to go, whether it’s standing or to the floor, I’m willing to go there.”

Expecting a sellout on the night at the Metro Radio Arena, Chalmers also believes his home backing will give Browning a welcome that he will never forget.

“I know he was banging on about being the fifth-biggest upset in Bellator history, so obviously he’s got the big upset and he’s got a bit of confidence on the back of that, but he’s coming into my neck of the woods with a lot of Geordie fans. It’s a sellout. I don’t know where he’s fought in the past, the size of the venues or how many people were there, but I don’t think he’s ever had five or six thousand people booing him. We’re going to have to wait and see how he deals with that.”

“The Joker” remains confident that he will score a second-round knockout in the co-main event showdown.

“I think he’s going to come out quick. He’s going to try to come out of the blocks and stamp his authority, but I’m still going to say second-round knockout.”