What did Francis Ngannou say to Ciryl Gane during their UFC 270 press conference staredown?

Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane recently came face to face ahead of their highly anticipated heavyweight championship bout at UFC 270. After answering questions from the media at the UFC 270 press conference, the headliners of the upcoming pay-per-view stared each other down.

Interestingly, Francis Ngannou had some words of respect for his former teammate. 'The Predator' claimed that he respected Gane regardless of what he thought.

'No matter what you might believe, I respect you and Saturday we are gonna go at war,' said Ngannou. [via translation as per UFC France]

Watch Ngannou and Gane come face-to-face for a staredown below:

The former teammates have had a rather interesting buildup to the fight. While both Ngannou and Gane have claimed that they respect each other, the events leading up to their showdown have only increased tensions between the two.

Furthermore, there has been a constant back and forth between the two camps. It will be interesting to see who walks out of the fight as the undisputed heavyweight champion.

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Francis Ngannou opens up on being the underdog against Ciryl Gane

The UFC heavyweight champion has opened up about being the underdog in his fight against Ciryl Gane. According to Ngannou, this is because the UFC has been promoting his opponent 'Bon Gamin' far more than himself.

The bookkeepers have Gane as the -150 favorite, while 'The Predator' will walk into the fight as the +130 underdog. Ngannou recently sat down for an interview with ESPN MMA and was asked to express his views on being the betting underdog.

Addressing the situation, the 35-year-old said:

"I think, honestly, I think right here , the reason [behind me being an underdog] is just because in the past month, they’ve been doing everything to promote him, and technically, I would say dis-promote me. And people kind of like, sleep on my performance and forget about me.”

Watch Francis Ngannou's full interview with ESPN MMA below:

Going into his first title defense, 'The Predator' is on the last fight of his contract. Negotiations between Ngannou's management and the UFC brass have proven unfruitful, with the Cameroonian stating he won't be willing to sign a deal unless he is compensated fairly enough.

Needless to say, a victory this weekend will undoubtedly allow Ngannou to have more leverage while negotiating a new deal with the UFC.