Conor McGregor’s long-time coach views his fighter as a champion no matter what happens in the buildup to UFC 223.

On April 7, interim UFC lightweight champion Tony Ferguson will take on Khabib Nurmagomedov inside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. The bout will be contested for 155-pound gold, but a question lingers. UFC President Dana White claimed he’d strip McGregor of his gold, but that move hasn’t been made official.

John Kavanagh recently took part in a live Facebook chat to give his thoughts on the situation:

“I think regardless of what way it’s sold, I think it’s still going to be known who the champion is. I know that’s going to upset a lot of people, but there you go, that’s my opinion on it. If it happens that those guys fight each other, and if it happens for the belt, they’re both going to think to themselves, ‘I’ve got to beat Conor to be really seen as the champion.”