Francis Ngannou told Cyril Gane he respected him during their face-off ahead of their UFC 270 showdown but has vowed the pair will go to war.
The Cameroon star will make the maiden defence of his heavyweight title against the talented Frenchman, in what is the final fight under his current UFC contract.
His opponent is undefeated during his time in the promotion and is looking to become champion under the guidance of Ngannou's former trainer Fernand Lopez.
Ngannou left a message of respect for Gane during their face-off when he said : "No matter what you might believe don't let it get in your brain, I respect you and Saturday we are gonna go at war."
Gane then replied: "I am happy Francis."
The Cameroon star has been hostile in the build-up largely due to his poor relationship with former trainer Lopez who he has branded "evil".
Ngannou refused to shake Gane's hand during a UFC 267 meeting backstage which prompted a disappointed reaction from the challenger.
This raised tensions between the pair further as Ngannou continued to go back and forth with Gane's trainer Lopez.
Footage was released from the 'MMA Factory' gym in Paris of the pair sparring which sparked another furious reaction from Ngannou who felt disrespected.
The sparring was then a topic of conversation at the press conference for UFC 270 after Ngannou claimed he knocked out Gane with a head kick later in the training day.
Ngannou said : "He was knocked out, probably, because he doesn’t remember."
Gane responded: "This is not the truth. We did some sparring – and it was really great sparring from Francis. It was a beautiful left kick. The problem with Francis is he doesn’t like technical sparring – (he likes) to make power.
"You gave me the left kick. You hurt me. You see? I’m honest – you hurt me. You hurt me. But you didn’t knock me down.”
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Ngannou has also been plagued in the build-up by uncertainty over his future in the promotion as his row over pay and pursuit of boxing opportunities continues.
He has also been engaged in a back and forth with boxing heavyweight champion Tyson Fury who has proposed a mixed rules bout.
If he is to retain his heavyweight title against Gane this weekend, he will refuse to fight under his current contract until the dispute is resolved.
However Gane is not prepared to let Ngannou successfully defend his crown and is plotting a UFC card in Paris if he can secure a historic victory.
"If I win, I think I can ask the UFC and I can work for this I little bit more because I will be the champion, so I hope this is going to help me to do that," he said.
"Of course, this is a dream of a lot of fans in my country, for this is my dream also. I want to bring the UFC to Paris and me with the main event."
