Aaron Chalmers says he was not himself in his defeat to Corey Browning at Bellator MMA in Newcastle and is now looking to June's London event for a comeback fight.
The reality TV star turned MMA fighter got off to an unbelievably stellar start to his professional fighting career having won his first four fights in a row, finishing all his opponents in the first round.
But when Bellator came to his hometown of Newcastle, England, the Geordie suffered his first loss in front of his friends, family and fans and he's still quite not sure how or what that happened.
Chalmers' opponent Browning submitted the Geordie with a heel hook early in the third round in a fight that served as the co-main event for the promotion's kick-off show for their brand new European fight night series.
"It was a good build up and everything was fine and then I got in there and I wasn't myself," Chalmers told ESPN.
"Even when I walked out, something wasn't there, there was something in my mind, I can't put my finger on it but something wasn't right before I got in there and it showed. I thought I fought terrible."
The strategy to fight Browning looked pretty good on paper but it just wasn't something he could implement come the night of the fight, especially when an early punch pushed him into brawl mode -- something he now regrets.
"We watched his fights and we worked on take-down defence and a lot of simple, straight punches down the middle and leg kicks," Chalmers explained.
"It baffles me to this day, for some reason, I didn't stick to the game-plan. He clipped me early on, behind the ear and I just went into fight mode. Literally, straight shots down the middle would've blown him away. I stood there, swinging bombs with him when I didn't need to.
"I was upset after the fight because I felt like I had let my coach down. We worked so hard on a certain game-plan and I just threw it all away."
It's one thing to suffer a loss but to do so in a high-profile spot in front of your hometown crowd adds insult to injury. The lightweight fighter is his own worst critic, completely owning his below-par performance.
"Fight night I was absolutely devastated because I felt like I had let my coach, my friends and my family down," Chalmers said.
"They spent money on a night out and all that and I had promised them that I'd win, and I just felt like I had let everyone down because they had spent money to come see me. I performed absolutely f---ing shocking. It was a huge feeling of failure in front of everyone, my hometown. I came out to a packed house and an amazing reception and then to just fall like that, it was s--t."
"I'm good now, I'll be going back to Birmingham and going straight back into camp. Next fight I will rectify what I done wrong."
For Chalmers, the silver lining is that he didn't suffer any major injuries and the flaws in his game are something he can address before his next fight.
"If I had just knocked him out in the first round then I would've just kept on doing what I was doing but after the fight, the way it went, I'm totally reshuffling the way I fight," Chalmers said.
"We're going back to the drawing board with everything and we're starting fresh. We're adding a lot more wrestling this camp, a lot more strength work. I'm glad in a way because had I knocked him out, I would've come unstuck in a few fights against a very heavy-handed ground-and-pounder who really could've damaged me, in that same position he had me in that second round.
Thankfully Corey didn't have that big punching power otherwise I could've ended up a hell of a lot worse. I am looking at it as a blessing in disguise because come the next fight I will be a totally different animal ready to go again."
Last week, Bellator President Scott Coker announced the promotion would be returning to London, England and informed ESPN their event would be held at the SSE Arena in Wembley on June 22. Chalmers is targeting that card for his return.
"There's a card in London in June which is perfect," Chalmers said. "I'm more swaying towards the June card so it looks like it'll be London. It gives me time to go back to the drawing board. I'm still fit and healthy but there's nothing stopping me from getting straight back in there tomorrow and going back to work."
"I'm in no position to call anybody out so whoever they put in front of me, I'll have to deal with and get back to winning ways."
The next time Chalmers steps into the Bellator cage he'll be fighting live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland which is something the Geordie can't wait for.
"It's madness," Chalmers said. "I've gone from literally fighting a few fights to fighting on Channel 5 and now Sky Sports. It's crazy the way MMA has been making moves. It's huge and I'm just glad to be part of it. Hopefully on Sky Sports, I'll be standing there with my hand raised in victory."
"Keep faith. If you think I'm done, then you've got another thing coming. That loss is only just the beginning. I'm going to be around for a fair few more years yet."