Hap Whitaker is the son of American mixed martial artist Michael Chandler and Brie Willett. His parents named him after Hap Whitney, a legendary wrestling coach at the University of Missouri. For Hap Whitaker’s second name, he was named Whitaker after Mike Whitaker, a close friend and confidant of his father.
His mother, Brie Willett, worked in an orphanage and was excited about adopting a child. Brie and Michael couldn’t wait to adopt Hap Whitaker once they were eligible to adopt children. Hap has a younger brother named Ace Chandler, who was adopted in 2022 and was born on April 19, 2022.
Education
Hap Whitaker’s parents have not revealed if their son has started schooling. But he is still young; if he has started attending school, he is probably in kindergarten.
His Parents
Hap Whitaker’s mother is a doctor who focuses on aesthetic medicine and has an Instagram account where she posts some of her work as a medic.
Michael Chandler, Hap’s father, plays in the Ultimate Fighting Championship under the Lightweight division. Michael was a wrestler in high school; he participated in the MSHSAA State Championships as a senior, was second in one of the competitions, was voted the Most Valuable Player, and made it to the All-St. Louis Team.
Hap Whitaker’s father was on the wrestling squad at the University of Missouri. How won hundred wrestling games and earned a DI All-American honors. After college, Michael Chandler started mixed martial arts training at Xtreme Couture; after training with the organization for some time, Chandler made his MMA debut in August 2009 against Kyle Swadley, a game he won.
Hap Whitaker’s father won two of his first two games with Strikeforce, defeating Richard Bouphanouvong and Sal Wood in the first and second competitions, respectively. Chandler joined Bellator MMA in 2010, making his debut on September 30 against Scott Stapp, who he defeated in the first round. He was playing in the welterweight division in Bellator before becoming part of the Lightweight division in early 2011.
Michael Chandler participated in the Bellator Season 4 Lightweight Tournament. His first game was against Marcin Held, who he defeated via technical submission. In the tournament, Hap’s father reached the final, facing Patricky Pitbull; he defeated him and won the hundred thousand dollars price and a chance at the Bellator Lightweight World Championship.
In the Lightweight Championship, Hap Whitaker’s father competed against Eddie Alvarez and won the competition via submission in the fourth round. So far, Chandler has won three Bellator Lightweight Championships and is number five on the UFC lightweight rankings. Hap Whitaker’s father is still active and will win more championships and games.
Social Media
Hap Whitaker is too young to have active accounts on social media, but his parents are active and post him often. For instance, his mother is on Instagram, where she has over 40k followers, follows over two thousand users, and has posted close to five hundred times. His father is also on Instagram; he has 1.5 million followers and has posted over four thousand times.