Aaron Chalmers’ previous MMA fights have come with a hefty side order of drama and stress as the MTV star-turned-fighter has fought against a barrage of online hate from fans. But now, heading into his seventh professional bout – his fourth under the Bellator banner – things are finally starting to calm down.

“I feel like all the online hate is starting to slowly turn,” Chalmers told MMA Junkie on media day ahead of his bout at Bellator Europe 7 in Dublin. “I think I’m starting to be a bit more accepted as an MMA fighter now, and the Dublin fans have given me nothing but good things online with messages and stuff, so I think it’s going to feel like a home from home, to be honest.”

The fight represents Chalmers’ first outside of U.K. soil, but he said that he’s so familiar with Ireland, having visited it regularly during his time as a reality TV star, that he feels completely at home on the Emerald Isle.

“No word of a lie, I think I’ve been to Ireland 150 times,” he said with a laugh. “Every time I’ve been here it’s been solid, so I think I’ll get a good reception.”

Chalmers (5-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) takes on American Austin Clem, who isn’t a household name, but the Englishman has done his due diligence and said he knows he has to be on his guard against a man who has notched a hat trick of submissions from his three career wins to date. But “The Joker” said he hoped his popularity among the Irish fight fans would help create an intimidating atmosphere for his opponent on the night.

“The upside for me is he hasn’t been on the big stage, and he doesn’t know how he’s going to handle that,” Chalmers said. “If there’s 8,000, 9,000 Irish fans chanting my name, that can be a daunting thing. But I need to be sure I don’t get sucked into his game. He’s a purple belt in jiu-jitsu, so I need to not get dragged into a scrap where he can drag me down and submit me.

“We’ve worked a lot on wrestling and ‘jitz,’ so we’ve been brushing up a lot on that. But I’ve also really been working on my standup, because that’s my go-to, and everything works around that. So I’ve got the heavy hands that can finish a fight with one shot, so I’ll build everything around that, but it’s nice to go in there on Saturday and have no stress over being pushed against the cage, because I’ve been there hundreds of times in the gym.”

So, with Chalmers’ defensive wrestling appropriately drilled and his standup sharpened for the battle ahead, it would be easy to assume he’s targeting a finish via strikes against Clem (3-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) on Feb. 22. But that’s not necessarily the case, as he explained.

“I wouldn’t say that for definite, because my last two wins have been subs, and if I see one, obviously I’m gonna attack it,” Chalmers said. “But he’ll be quite clued up in certain positions, so it might be hard to get one on him. But you never know, he might slip up with the pressure and give me something, but we’ll see.”

Aaron Chalmers feels like he’s settling into his MMA career nicely. (Steve Flynn, USA TODAY Sports)

Clearly Chalmers has a healthy respect for Clem’s ground game, and he suggested as much when he offered his prediction for the fight. In short, he’s expecting a battle.

“I don’t think it’s going to end as quickly as I would like,” Chalmers admitted. “I think it’s going to be a tough, gritty fight, but I think I’ve got enough to get the job done, whether that’s in Round 1, 2 or 3.”

One prediction he was much clearer about, however, was the reaction he’ll receive when his walkout music hits the 3Arena speakers. He’s prepared something a little bit special for the Irish fight fans, and he hopes it produces the desired effect when he walks down the ramp to the cage.

“I’ve got an Irish DJ to mix a song that apparently is really big in Dublin,” he explained. “I’ve asked a few Irish fighters, and they’ve told me that it’s gonna blow the roof off the place. By the time I fight it’ll be 10:30 p.m, so the crowd will be half-drunk by then, so I reckon they’re all going to go mad for it!”