Ahead of his much anticipated UFC 274 lightweight match against Tony Ferguson, we take a look at Michael Chandler’s wife, his family and more
Michael Chandler has emerged as one of the most exciting fighters of the UFC in recent times, although true fight fans know that the American has always delivered some of the most adrenaline-packed fights inside the octagon, and always comes to fight with a fearless mind. Within a year inside the organization, Chandler has manifested himself as much watch television, and this weekend he will share the octagon with another crowd favorite- the ‘El Cucuy’ Tony Ferguson.
In today’s MMA landscape, Chanlder has emerged as one of the most complete fighters with tremendous athletic abilities. An NCAA Division 1 wrestler , Yan transitioned into MMA almost effortlessly. Although his fighting style is based around the rudimentary fundamentals of wrestling, he has induced crisp kick-boxing and domineering submission abilities into his arsenal.
A professional competitor since 2009, Chandler first gained notoriety when he began competing for Bellator MMA, an organization he fought for from 2010 through 2020. With them, ‘Iron’ Mike Chandler became a three-time Bellator Lightweight Champion and was the winner of the Bellator Season Four Lightweight Tournament, and held a promotional win–loss record of 18–5. In Chandler’s first UFC year in 2021, he challenged for the UFC Lightweight Championship, by knocking out top contender Dan Hooker, and fought Justin Gaethje in what was voted the 2021 UFC Fight of the Year. He also competed in collegiate wrestling out of the University of Missouri, where he earned NCAA Division I All-American honors.
A lot of Chandler’s success’ credit goes to his wife Brie, who has been a rock-solid and unshakable support for him. The pair have been together for years and tied the knot in 2014.
n a recent post on Instagram ahead of arguably the biggest fight of his UFC career, Chandler took to Instagram to thank his wife.
“There is not a doubt in my mind that I wouldn’t be where I am today without the steadfast love and support of my wife” Chandler quoted.
“There’s no way I’ll ever be able to make up for all the time spent away and all the selfless sacrifices you have made, but I promise to love you and serve you for a lifetime and beyond. I love you @briechandler (Brie Willett) – you’re my favorite thing about life…and as the song says, the spotlight is on me, but you’re the reason I shine.”
Brie is a Columbia native, who studied at Taylor University, pursuing Psychology and Biology. She then graduated from Southern Illinois University, with Masters in Physician Assistant studies. A few years ago, she received her Doctorate degrees from the highly-acclaimed Lincoln Memorial University and the University of Missouri-Columbia. Currently, she works as a resident PR in Critical Care for the University of Missouri Hospital. She is a doctor with expertise in ER and trauma. She has over 27,000 followers on her Instagram.
During her teenage years, she was also involved in modeling and pageant competitions. She was even a finalist at the Miss Missouri Teen Competition held back in 2003.
The ever charismatic personality also broke the internet when a video of him interacting with his adopted son, post Justin Gaethje fight, melted everyone’s heart.
He already has an adopted son and welcomed his newborn son Ace to their family through an Instagram post in which he said, “So blessed to add another son to the Chandler family. Ace Chandler was born April 19th. The blessings of adoption have enriched our lives more than we ever thought possible,” he wrote on Instagram. “@briechandler has had adoption on her heart for over 2 decades and after our son Hap, we knew we’d do it again. So many people have said we have given such a gift to these young men, but to us, it’s always felt like the exact opposite…we feel like we have won the lottery every single day.”
Michael Chandler revealed once that adopting a child was initially his wife’s idea and he took some time to warm up to it. Brie Willett used to volunteer at a place called ‘Granny’s House’ when she was younger and part of her job there was to take care of and spend time with young orphan kids.
Michael Chandler’s wife is Brie Chandler.
Brie Chandler married Michael Chandler in 2014.
Michael Chandler and Brie Chandler started dating in 2013.
Michael and Brie Chandler have two adopted kids.
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