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Manel Kape has fired back at newly minted UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van after the latter recently asked UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard about who the next flyweight title challenger will be.
Kape, who most recently secured a knockout win against Brandon Royval, has already called out ‘The Fearless’ multiple times in the past few days. Van, too, has responded via X, accepting Kape’s offer to fight in Houston.
Recently, to add to the back and forth, Van posted on X, asking Maynard:
“Taira or Manel ?? @ufc @Mickmaynard2 Both of dem can get it ! 😎”
Kape was quick to fire back. He wrote:
“Remember when I said I’d beat both of u on the same night? Brandon Royval already got his a*s whooped. Now only ur b**ch a*s is left.”
Check out Manel Kape and Joshua Van’s comments below:
Manel Kape says he will put Joshua Van to sleep “before the fairytale even starts”
In a subsequent X post, Kape asked Van to ‘show up like a good boy,’ threatening to put him to sleep:
“How do u feel now, @JoshuaVanBT? Don’t run. Show up like the good little boy u are. I’ll handle the rest & put u to sleep right on time, before the fairytale even starts.”
Check out the post below:
Van’s next challenge can be ‘Starboy,’ Tatsuro Taira, or Alexandre Pantoja. Tatsuro Taira recently finished Brandon Moreno at UFC 323, the same night Van dethroned Pantoja. However, many felt that in the Moreno vs. Taira fight, the referee made an early stoppage.
Similarly, the Pantoja vs Van bout ended in the first few seconds of Round 1, after Pantoja accidentally suffered a dislocated shoulder.
The UFC would look to book a title rematch between Van and Pantoja if the latter can make a quick recovery. ‘The Cannibal’ is already back in the gym and has not sustained any fractures. However, further evaluation is pending to figure out if there are any ligament tears. Van also wants to run it back. He told the UFC during a sitdown:
“I don’t think that was a real fight. I feel like Pantoja does deserve a rematch. Bitter-sweet. He is the greatest of all time in my eyes, and I really wanna feel what he is like in the cage.”
Check out Joshua Van’s comments below:



















