"I don’t want that smoke" - Michael Chandler clears up he was not being disrespectful with Israel Adesanya meme

UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler recently shared a fan-made meme with Israel Adesanya as the butt of the joke on social media. However, he subsequently revealed that he was not trying to throw shade at the middleweight kingpin. Instead, he was only trying to share a funny picture with his fans.

After his stunning finish against Tony Ferguson at UFC 274, Chandler participated in a commemorative photo shoot. In some of the photos, he was seen sharing the frame with his older son, Hap, and his wife, Brie.

However, the internet offered its hilarious take on his family photo by superimposing an injured Adesanya's face onto that of Chandler's son. 'Iron', who saw the funny side of it, shared the picture with his fans on Twitter.

Check out Michael Chandler's tweet below:

However, it seems like it may have rubbed some of Adesanya's fans the wrong way, forcing 'Iron' to issue a statement clarifying that he was not taking a shot at the Kiwi but instead just sharing a funny picture on social media. The Missouri native also hilariously stated that he did not want to engage in a tussle with the middleweight champion:

"First of all...any of y’all that think that was me slighting [Israel Adesanya] to talk trash, y’all are killing me. I don’t want that smoke. At all. Ever. But you have to admit, the pic was funny."

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Michael Chandler pays tribute to Lyoto Machida after recording identical KO

Tony Ferguson's stint at UFC 274 ended after Michael Chandler landed a front kick flush on his chin in the second round of their clash. 'Iron' recently responded to a post made by a fan that commemorated Lyoto Machida's finish of Vitor Belfort.

Machida, like Chandler, landed a front kick to put Belfort to sleep. 'The Dragon' landed the highlight-reel KO in the second round after an uninspiring performance from both sides in the first round of their fight at UFC 224.

The fight that was marketed as Belfort's swan song took place at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in May 2018. Belfort left his gloves in the octagon to signify his retirement in the aftermath of the action. However, he announced his comeback in December 2018.

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