Francis Ngannou brutally shut down a reporter who claimed the champion had said his upcoming clash with Cyril Gane was an "easy fight".
The Cameroon star came face-to-face with his heavyweight rival Gane at a press conference for the UFC 270 main event.
His opponent was asked his thoughts on Ngannou supposedly suggesting his upcoming bout was an "easy fight".
But Ngannou produced an animated response, shouting: "Excuse me, sir. Where did you read that when I said Ciryl is a pretty easy fight? I mean I'm very confused. Did I ever say Ciryl is an easy fight?
"I didn't say that... Toughest, meaning tougher than the others. Toughest, meaning others are tough but someone is the toughest. That's not an easy fight, my friend. If you ever fight in your life, you'll know that. Please be very accurate when you ask questions."
Ngannou was clearly furious with the claim after previously stating that Miocic was his toughest opponent to date.
The champion has faced several tough questions during the build-up to his clash with Gane as the uncertainty around his future in the UFC continues.
His upcoming bout with Gane will be the last on his current contract with the promotion and he will refuse to fight under the current terms if he retains his title.
During the face-off the pair exchanged a brief message of respect after a fiery build-up as Ngannou's feud continues with Gane's trainer Fernand Lopez.
Ngannou claimed in the prior media day that he had knocked out Gane during their time sparring at the MMA Factory gym in Paris where they both trained.
However the pair exchanged over the sparring session with Gane claiming he was "hurt" but not knocked down as shown by released footage.
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Despite not shaking hands at a prior backstage meeting at UFC 267, the pair seemed to have buried the hatchet but have promised "war" in the octagon on fight night.
Ngannou has been distracted by talks of him making a boxing appearance against heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
Fury offered the UFC's heavyweight king a crossover bout with mixed rules which Ngannou has admitted he would like to pursue next.
The 35-year-old has now admitted he would rather pursue this option than any further title defence against Jon Jones.
"If you give me the two options, I would choose fighting Tyson Fury," Ngannou said.
"After fighting Stipe [Miocic], the Jon Jones fight was on the table, but it seems like nobody really cares about it, so I don't know.
"Also, we don't even know what is the position of Jon Jones right now. I'm not planning my life based on that. I will plan my life based on the facts."
