Josh Thomson And John McCarthy Defend UFC Star Michael Chandler Amid Uproar Over Adopted Children

Less than two months away from his return to the Octagon, Michael Chandler is facing a heap of backlash after opening up about how he hopes to raise his adoptive children.

Chandler and his wife, Brie Chandler, adopted their son Hap in 2017. Five years later they welcomed their second adoptive son, Ace. As most everyone familiar with the fighter already knows, Chandler’s children are black while he and his wife are white.

That alone has sparked some negative commentary online from those who oppose the concept of transracial adoption, but it was Chandler’s comments during a recent appearance on The Shawn Ryan Show that have seemingly caused many folks to take issue.

“I’m not raising black children, I’m raising children,” Chandler said. “Whether you are black or you are white, no matter what race that you are, there are certain things about being a man and being a good man when it comes to character and integrity and safeguarding the helpless and sticking up for those who need it.
“Being a good man, a good man of reputation, none of that has to do with skin color. Everything has to do with the character of the man. Probably not an answer that some people would say is important but that’s where the world has gone. Where we think that the most important thing about us is our skin color or our gender or our political affiliation.”