When Alexander Volkanovski flipped off the audience channeling inside 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin ahead of UFC-WWE merger [VIDEO]

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski was seen impersonating WWE's 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin earlier this year.

As the news of the UFC-WWE merger came to light earlier this year, the Australian fighter dressed up as the WWE's iconic 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin. He was accompanied by Robert Whittaker, who dressed up as Hulk Hogan for a skit on FOX Sports Australia.

Take a look at the video below:

UFC and WWE came together to form a global live sports powerhouse earlier this year after Endeavor bought out a majority stake in the pro-wrestling company. With the purchase of 51% of the WWE, Endeavor now owns a combined sports entity worth over $21 billion.

Ariel Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor, stated that he believes his group can continue to grow the organization, just as Vince McMahon has done in the past. He said:

“This is a rare opportunity to create a global live sports and entertainment pureplay built for where the industry is headed. For decades, Vince and his team have demonstrated an incredible track record of innovation and shareholder value creation, and we are confident that Endeavor can deliver significant additional value for shareholders by bringing UFC and WWE together.”

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Alexander Volkanovski speaks about his upcoming fight against Yair Rodriguez

Alexander Volkanovski is set to return to the octagon later this weekend to defend his UFC featherweight championship against Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290. Unsuccessful in capturing the lightweight gold in his last outing against Islam Makhachev, Volkanovski is looking to defend his featherweight crown in an emphatic fashion.

However, that does not mean that Volkanovski is taking Rodriguez lightly. In a recently posted video on his YouTube channel, 'The Great' weighed in on his upcoming fight and gave the 'dangerous' Rodriguez his due credit. He said:

"So, this one's obviously a fun one, exciting for me. I have seen a lot of people that were like, you know, because I went up a division and obviously, almost took out Islam and no one expected me to do that, they think me going down's just gonna be easy but mate, Yair Rodriguez is no joke. He's dangerous. I need to stay on my game."

Volkanovski added:

"Am I confident? Do I think I'm the better fighter? Of course. Do I think I can take it wherever? Yes. But, I need to be on my toes. I need to be careful. He's very unpredictable."

Check out his comments below (7:00):