"It’s not good, is it?” - Dan Hardy concerned for Max Holloway’s return to featherweight ahead of Ilia Topuria clash; urges move to 155 pounds next 

Max Holloway is set to take on Ilia Topuria for the featherweight title in the main event of UFC 308. Ahead of the clash, there are concerns from some fans and pundits that the Hawaiian's time at 145 pounds may have come to an end.

In his previous fight, 'Blessed' faced off against Justin Gaethje for the BMF title at UFC 300. The fight took place at lightweight, with Holloway having taken several months to increase his muscle mass in a healthy way to prepare for the heavier weight class.

But PFL analyst Dan Hardy believes that the added weight may make the title challenger's life at 145 pounds more miserable. During several interviews ahead of UFC 308, fans have pointed out that 'Blessed' appeared more gaunt than usual.

The former fighter was recently interviewed by Ariel Helwani ahead of the featherweight title fight, and said:

"My only concern is the weight of Max. I feel like he's better at [155 pounds] now. But that's to be seen, we'll see what he looks like on the scales. If he's got the cheekbones appropriate for Halloween then I won't be feeling as good about it."

Helwani noted that 'Blessed' appeared more drawn-out than usual in the weeks leading up to UFC 308, to which Hardy responded with:

"It's not good, is it? It's the 'Thriller' look, you might call it. I feel like weight cutting, it's getting to the stage now where people need to realize that it affects your performance."

Catch Dan Hardy's comments about Max Holloway below (26:45):

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Max Holloway rejects concerns over his weight ahead of Ilia Topuria fight

Max Holloway will return to featherweight shores after a mightily successful journey northwards to lightweight, where he defeated Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 to secure the BMF title.

He will now take on the hard-hitting Ilia Topuria, current king of the 145-pound division.

Ahead of the bout, 'Blessed' dismissed the weight concerns and said:

"Everybody keeps talking about weight coming to this fight. The whole question about the last fight was weight. And now the whole question about this fight is the weight because of what we did in the last fight. It is what it is... I've got my man Tyler Minton back on the team. He's going to be out there with us for the fight week. He's one of the best guys in the business but I never missed weight."

Catch Max Holloway's comments below (11:55):