UFC star Michael Chandler stood by his controversial comments about raising his black children to not see color.
The MMA fighter said “virtue” was the most “important” thing about being a “good man”, after coming under fire for his attitude towards raising children of a different race.
He and his wife, Brie Chandler, are parents to Hap, seven, and Ace, two, whom they adopted.
during a appearance on the Shawn Ryan show In April, Chandler said: “Whether you’re black or white, it doesn’t matter what race 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 defenseless and the strong.” . for those who need it.’
He continued: ‘Being a good man, a good man of reputation, none of that has to do with the color of your skin. It all has to do with the character of the man. It’s probably not an answer that some people would consider important, but the world has gone that way.’
UFC star Michael Chandler stood by his controversial comments about raising his black children
He and his wife, Brie Chandler, are parents to Hap, seven, and Ace, two.
Chandler addressed his comments about “not raising black children” during a interview on The Pivot podcast last week, hosted by former NFL players Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder.
“I think that sound bite can obviously be trimmed… that little five seconds can be trimmed and of course I’d say, ‘Wait a second,’ but if you dig into it, of course, it was all about her color. “It’s not the most important thing about them,” he explained.
‘And maybe I’m wrong to say that, maybe other people don’t agree with me. The most important thing about a man is being a man and the virtues and things and characteristics of being a good man.’
Although critics criticized the 38-year-old for seemingly failing to recognize the challenges his children may face as a result of their skin color, Chandler insisted that he plans to have conversations about race when the couple is older.
“My wife wanted to adopt an African-American child since she was a teenager,” he explained.
Chandler said he plans to have conversations about race with his children when they are older.
“Obviously, part of the problem also is that if I had done that interview and my kids were 14 and 11, it’s a little different,” he continued.
‘I have a 2-year-old and a 7-year-old. So maybe that question will be answered in five years or… you know, my son Hap is 7 now, so we’re going in that direction, but he’s always been a little boy, and then Ace is just a little boy. . child. That’s why there’s always the age-appropriate setting.’
Elsewhere in the interview, he explained why Brie intended to adopt children.
‘My wife wanted to adopt an African-American child since she was a teenager. “My wife has had that in her heart since she was a teenager,” Chandler said.
‘I remember she used to do missionary work in the inner city, she used to go to Jamaica on mission trips with her father. Everyone knew she would, eventually, someday. And she always said, “If I marry a good man, I want to do this.”
The couple welcomed their first child in 2017 before adopting their second child in 2022.