Michael Chandler is gearing up for perhaps the most important fight of his career. The former Bellator champion, of course, is set to face Conor McGregor at UFC 303 on June 29 in a welterweight bout at the conclusion of the UFC’s annual International Fight Week.
A win against the firmer two-division champion will not only give him some serious name recognition but make him a whole lot of money, probably more money than he will get from any other fight. Which would, of course, help him make sure his family is provided for. Speaking of Chandler’s family, the former Bellator champion has come under fire for adopting two boys. However, amid this controversy, he got support from an unlikely source: Tristan Tate.
Tristan Tate commends Michael Chandler for choosing to adopt
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Michael Chandler and his wife, Brie, have two adopted children- Hap, and Ace. Both the boys are black, and this has led to some criticizing the Missouri native. The main source of criticism he has been getting is the attitude of some Americans controversy around transracial adoption.
Adoption isn’t for everybody but kids out there need parents.
Nothing but respect for @MikeChandlerMMA, no idea how anybody can clown a man for being heroic.
— Tristan Tate (@TateTheTalisman) April 29, 2024
Amid this controversy, beleaguered social media star, and Andrew Tate‘s brother, Tristan Tate has come out in favor of Chandler and defended his decision to adopt two black boys in a recent tweet. “Adoption isn’t for everybody but kids out there need parents. Nothing but respect for @MikeChandlerMMA, no idea how anybody can clown a man for being heroic,” he wrote.
Some critics and activists feel that transracial adoption, like Chandler who is white, adopting black children is ‘unethical’ as it leads to the children being forced to break from their cultural identities and that the parents of such kids cannot provide the cultural and societal understanding and education that black men require in America. However, Chandler is not convinced of this and spoke about it in a recent interview.
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‘Iron’ addresses the controversy around the adoption
Michael Chandler has addressed this controversy himself, speaking about his and his wife’s decision to adopt their children in a podcast appearance with Shawn Ryan on YouTube. The UFC star felt that some universal values and principles make a good person which transcends things like a person’s race and ethnicity. And he stated that he was confident he could inculcate those in his children, their race notwithstanding.
“I’m not raising black children, I’m raising children. 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,” the former Bellator champion said.
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While people criticizing his decision to adopt his boys must have hurt the Missouri native, it is clear that he loves and cares for them very much. And it might actually be better that this controversy erupted when his kids are quite young and thus there is a good chance they are not even aware of it.
Do you think the scrutiny around Chandler’s boys is fair? What’s your thought on the same? Tell us in the comments below!