CALGARY – Jeremy Stephens has concerns about the health of UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway, but that doesn’t mean he’s not gunning for his title belt.

Stephens (28-14 MMA, 15-13 UFC), who meets Jose Aldo (26-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) in a key 145-pound bout Saturday at UFC on FOX 30, has shared the octagon with Holloway (19-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) once before. He lost a unanimous decision to “Blessed” at UFC 194 in December 2015, but their relationship dates back even further than that.

“Lil’ Heathen” said he’s as worried about Holloway right now as anyone after the Hawaiian was forced to withdraw from UFC 226 earlier this month because of concussion-like symptoms. There’s been limited updates about Holloway’s status in the weeks since, and Stephens admits he’s thinking about what the future could hold for the current champ.

“I actually flew the kid out a long time ago when I was fighting (Anthony) Pettis, and I have a relationship with that guy,” Stephens told MMAjunkie at UFC on FOX 30 media day. “I ended up fighting him, and it was just weird all in a sense. I actually care about the kid, I like the kid. If he was to stop fighting today I could look back and go, ‘Man, he’s probably happy.’ Look at his win streak. He’s talented. He went and got the belt.

“Health-wise, I feel for him. I definitely think about that stuff because this is a very violent sport. That type of injury – everyone is just calling out what they think happened. No one really knows, but they know it ain’t good. That’s not cool.”

UFC on FOX 30 takes place at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Stephens vs. Aldo co-headlines the FOX-televised portion of the card following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

Stephens, 32, is in the midst of arguably the best run of his career. He’s won three straight, with his past two being knockout wins over Josh Emmett and Dooho Choi in main-event bouts. He thinks a win over Aldo puts him in position to challenge for the title, and if he does get a rematch with Holloway, he said all personal feelings will be put aside.

“If we go to fight again, I’m going to cut off everything and go to my alter-ego and go kill him,” Stephens said.

Although Stephens said a win over Aldo would put him in an “undeniable” spot to challenge for UFC gold, it might not be that simple. The title picture is mucky at the moment with Holloway’s status in question and top contender Brian Ortega somewhat in limbo.

Things might not be clear at the moment, but Stephens has faith the situation will sort itself out in his favor. If it doesn’t, though, he said he won’t slow down his pace of fighting. He wants a fourth bout this year and intends to push for that whether a belt is on the line or not.

“I’m full steam ahead,” Stephens said. “We ain’t stopping. This is going to be my million-dollar year. This fight puts me really close. Come out healthy Saturday night, victorious, let’s go at the end of the year. Dec. 30 they have a big card in Las Vegas.”

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