You see Michael Chandler screaming at a camera after a knockout, backflipping off the cage, or doing some insane explosive drill in the gym, and you think you know the guy. He’s "Iron" Mike. He’s the personification of high-energy, "see you at the top" motivational fuel. But then you scroll through his Instagram and see something totally different: a quiet, devoted dad hanging out with two young boys who don't exactly look like him. It usually sparks the same question for people who only know him from the Octagon: why does michael chandler adopt?
Honestly, it isn't some PR stunt or a sudden whim. It's a choice that goes back way further than his UFC debut or even his Bellator championship days.
It Started Long Before the Fame
The story doesn't actually begin with Michael. It starts with his wife, Brie Chandler (formerly Brie Willett). Long before she met a professional fighter, Brie had a specific vision for her life. Since she was a teenager, she felt a "calling" to adopt. This wasn't just a vague idea; she spent time doing mission work in places like Jamaica and working with inner-city youth in Columbia, Missouri.
When Michael and Brie started dating, she didn't wait three years to bring it up. She was upfront. One day, while they were literally just hanging out at a dog park in San Diego, watching the clouds, she dropped the bomb. She told him she wanted to be a mother through adoption.
Chandler has been pretty open about his reaction. He was caught off guard. He hadn’t really thought about adoption at all. But his response was basically, "I’ll do anything to marry you, so I’m on board." He didn't just agree to it to get the girl, though. Over time, that "her dream" became "their dream."
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The Arrival of Hap and Ace
The couple didn't rush into it immediately after their 2014 wedding. They waited a few years, and then in 2017, they welcomed their first son, Hap. The process for Hap was actually surprisingly fast—they were matched and had him home in what felt like a whirlwind.
Fast forward to April 2022. Just two weeks before one of the biggest fights of his career against Tony Ferguson at UFC 274, Chandler announced they had adopted their second son, Ace. If you remember that fight, Chandler landed one of the most brutal front-kick knockouts in history. It’s wild to think that just days earlier, he was navigating the paperwork and emotional gravity of bringing a new baby home.
The Controversy: Why Adopting Black Children?
Here is where the internet gets loud. Both Hap and Ace are Black, and Michael and Brie are white. This has led to a ton of "discourse"—some of it supportive, some of it pretty harsh.
Chandler went viral for some comments he made on The Shawn Ryan Show. He said, "I'm not raising Black children, I'm raising children." He talked about wanting to instill "virtue," "integrity," and "character," arguing that these traits transcend skin color.
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A lot of people took issue with that. Critics argued that a "colorblind" approach is actually dangerous because the world will see those boys as Black men, and they need to be prepared for that reality. You've probably seen the tweets or the Reddit threads; people get heated about it.
Setting the Record Straight
To be fair to Chandler, he did eventually clarify his stance during an interview on The Pivot podcast with Ryan Clark. He admitted that his "I don't see color" soundbite was easily clipped and misinterpreted. His main point was that at age two and seven, his kids are just kids to him.
- Age Appropriateness: He noted that he isn't having deep talks about systemic racism with a toddler, but he acknowledges those conversations are coming as they grow.
- The Goal: He wants them to be "good men of reputation" first and foremost.
- Cultural Awareness: While he’s been criticized for "erasing" their culture, Chandler has insisted he’s learning as he goes.
Is It About Infertility?
People often wonder if they adopted because they "had" to. The truth is a bit more nuanced. In some interviews, it’s been mentioned that Brie’s career—she’s a physician assistant—and their hectic lives played a role, but mostly it comes back to that original desire Brie had.
They didn't choose adoption as a "Plan B" because they couldn't have biological kids. They chose it as "Plan A" because they wanted to provide a home for children who needed one. Chandler often says he feels like he "won the lottery" with his sons, rather than the other way around. He hates the idea that he’s doing some great "charitable" act. To him, he's just a guy who wanted to be a dad.
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Actionable Insights for Those Considering Adoption
If you're looking at Michael Chandler's journey and thinking about adoption yourself, there are a few real-world takeaways that aren't just "motivational" fluff:
- Start the Conversation Early: Like Brie did, be honest with your partner about your family goals. Adoption is a massive emotional and legal undertaking.
- Prepare for the "Fishbowl" Effect: If you adopt transracially, people will have opinions. You need to be thick-skinned and, more importantly, educated on how to support your child’s identity.
- Understand the Timeline: Chandler’s first adoption was fast, but that’s not the norm. Most domestic adoptions take 1–2 years and involve mountains of paperwork.
- Focus on the "Why": Are you doing it to "save" someone or to build a family? The most successful adoptions happen when the parents realize they are the ones gaining something invaluable.
Michael Chandler might be one of the most polarizing figures in the UFC when he starts talking into a microphone, but his commitment to his kids is pretty hard to knock. Whether you agree with his parenting philosophy or not, he's clearly all-in on being a father.
If you're curious about the logistics of the process they went through, you can look into domestic infant adoption agencies in Tennessee or Missouri, where the Chandlers have spent most of their time. The legal requirements vary wildly by state, so start with a local adoption attorney or a licensed agency to get the actual facts on the ground.