How his love of the UFC helped Kyle Chalmers find perspective following post-Paris trolling saga
Kyle Chalmers opens up about his love of the UFC and how it gave him perspective during his shocking trolling saga across the Olympics.
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Kyle Chalmers only had one reaction when he saw his schedule for the first day of the swimming program at the Paris Olympics.
“Day one of racing for me was the same day as UFC 304,” he says. “I’m like, ‘Oh, I have to swim instead of watch the UFC!?”
At his third Olympics, The Big Tuna was able to block out the distraction of the fights and win two silvers and a bronze.
But he didn’t realise then that his obsession with the UFC would help him a few weeks later in some of the toughest moments of his life.
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Chalmers’ passion for the UFC began eight years ago when he was at the Olympics in Rio.
“It was when Conor McGregor fought Nate Diaz and I remember all of us coming together in one room to watch it,” he says, moments after watching the UFC 305 open workouts in Perth this week. “But it wasn’t until watching it live (at UFC 293) in Sydney last year, and witnessing the atmosphere, the crowd and watching people punch the shit out of each other that I was actually like, ‘this is the greatest thing ever’.
“I live it and breathe it. I used to be a big NBA fan, and a big AFL fan, but now I’m just obsessed with the UFC.”
Fresh off a short break with his fiance’s family in Norway after Paris, Chalmers jetted straight to Perth to be at UFC 305.
It’s a trip he booked way back in March as soon as he heard the UFC was returning to Australia.
His favourite fighters include big names like Sean O’Malley, Max Holloway and Alex Volkanovski, but his knowledge extends to rising stars and fringe contenders that only a true tragic knows.
“Shara Bullet has got me excited recently – it’s pretty fun watching him,” he says of the three-fight Russian middleweight Sharabutdin Magomedov. “And I remember watching Talbott (unheralded three-fight bantamweight Payton Talbott) fight in the Apex not that long ago, and it won’t be long and he’ll be fighting for the title I think.”
Swimming can learn a lot from the way the UFC and its fighters are marketed and promoted, Chalmers says.
The McGrgegor-Diaz rivalry is a perfect example.
“I think swimming has to do that to get people in to watch it to an extent,” he says. “We all walk out there with a swimming cap, our racing suit and goggles and everyone looks the same and there’s no real personality about it.
“It’s something I’ve tried to do. I’ve got tattoos, earrings and I’ve had a few crazy haircuts in my time – white mohawks and whatnot.
“To get people to watch, it’s important to create rivalries. There’s some guys from around the world that I’ve had amazing races with over my time.
“We get along really well, but you can sell that story, and sell that race so much better.”
Chalmers’ supposed rivalry with Chinese 100m freestyle rival Pan Zhanle is one that took on a life of its own though.
Pan obliterated his own world record and beat Chalmers by a full body length in the 100m final in Paris. But comments Pan made to Chinese media turned Chalmers’ world upside down.
In the week after the race, King Kyle’s social media feeds and DMs were overrun by hate-filled trolls.
“Getting all the hate comments from a narrative that just was not true whatsoever was fine for me, but when it starts going to my family and fiancé, then it’s not fine,” he says.
“I found that really hard, because I know I’m not in control of them while they’re in France by themselves.
“It started to stress me out a little bit.”
It was his UFC fandom that helped Chalmers gain some kind of perspective on the whole sorry saga.
“It takes me back to the UFC,” he says. “Sean Strickland comes out and says all this stuff, and imagine what he gets comment-wise.
“It would just be crazy to be on his Instagram at times.
“It was my first exposure to it, and it was stressful, but I’m glad we were able to talk it out, and I’ve got his (Pan’s) cap now and we’re mates – well, I hope we are!
“We spoke in the pool straight after the race, and on the podium. I’m talking to him, saying ‘I’m so proud’.
“I’m supposed to be going to Shanghai in October, and he wants to show me around, and was saying, ‘you’re my idol’ and stuff like that.”
As for this week, Chalmers has been attending every UFC event he can get to, and is tipping a big comeback in the UFC 305 main event.
“Izzy’s a freak of nature, so I think he probably gets it done,” he says. “I love watching the heavyweights, so watching Bam Bam (Tuivasa) is gonna be awesome.
“Watching Steve Erceg, another Aussie, that’s gonna be cool. Dan Hooker too – I got a selfie with him last night!”
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