Manel Kape believes the UFC’s flyweight division is about to get a brutal reset and he plans to deliver it himself. Fresh off a blistering first-round knockout of Brandon Royval at the final UFC event of 2025, the surging contender expects to be the first challenger to newly crowned champion Joshua Van, who won the title after Alexandre Pantoja suffered a freak injury at UFC 323. With Pantoja sidelined indefinitely, the belt must move and Kape says there’s only one logical fight to make.
But he’s not just predicting victory. He’s forecasting humiliation.
“I see Joshua Van as a punching bag,” Kape told MMA Fighting.