Joshua Van believed he knew what was next. New champion, a fresh new belt, and a division brimming with contenders calling out his name. But what the UFC flyweight champion didn’t expect was to say “yes” twice and still not receive the fight he wanted.

The chaos began when another fight broke down. The much-awaited UFC 324 clash between Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes fell apart, and the UFC was forced to scramble for a replacement behind the scenes. Van’s phone rang, two weeks’ notice, and a big opportunity at his door. However, things still fell apart before finally leading to his upcoming title clash against Tatsuro Taira at UFC 327 on April 11 in Miami.

Joshua Van says he agreed to Manel Kape twice before landing Tatsuro Taira

“When I was in Cali, they called me on short notice because Kayla vs. Amanda fell off,” Van said on Paramount’s UFC Fight Night 267 post-fight show. “They offered me two weeks’ notice, and I immediately said yes. I guess they called Manel Kape, and he said he can’t, so I said, ‘Ok, cool.’

He called me out for March 7, and Mick (Maynard) and my managers said, ‘Who you want: Manel or Taira for March 7?’ I said Manel, and I said yes on my part, and I don’t know what happened. A couple of days later, they said, ‘Taira.'”

‘The Fearless’ believes he has done his part. Twice. In fact, when Alan Jouban suggested that Manel Kape was the more exciting matchup, Van agreed, especially after how the two had been at each other’s throats on Twitter and even agreed to a bout publicly. This led the champion to assume something had happened on his part.

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However, the UFC simply wanted Tatsuro Taira. Kape, meanwhile, claims he was pressing for the fight and even cutting weight before learning that Taira had already been promised the shot by the promotion. Somewhere in the middle of that back-and-forth, the title defense shifted.

“Even knowing that, we kept pushing to make this fight happen on March 7,” he had said in a statement on X. “UFC told us there was a strong possibility. I was already cutting weight; by Monday, I was down to 144lbs. In the end, the UFC decided not to move forward with the fight because of the short time.”

Now Joshua Van defends his belt against ‘The Best’ at UFC 327 in Miami—a bout that had no drama or Twitter exchanges, only a stylistic clash that he obviously recognizes, as he called himself a better striker while naming the Japanese mixed martial artist as the better grappler between the two. As for Manel Kape, he claims he has been promised a fight against the winner of ‘The Fearless’ vs. Taira.

Kape claims the UFC wants him to just sit it out

While Joshua Van prepares for Tatsuro Taira, Manel Kape is telling a different story about what comes next. According to him, the UFC has already promised him the winner of the title fight. The offer, as he describes it, was simple: wait your turn.

“The UFC gave me the opportunity to sit out and wait for the title fight winner,” Kape said. “Knowing they honor their promises, I could definitely wait. That’s what most fighters would do.

“But I’m not most fighters. And I’m not a coward who sits on his ranking position.”

Instead of staying inactive, he aims to fight again in May or June, increasing his leverage ahead of what he says will be the biggest contract negotiation of his career. There’s confidence, perhaps even a little swagger, in it as he draws a comparison no one saw coming.

“You can call me the Floyd Mayweather of flyweights,” Kape added.

Whether or not that comparison is accurate, the message is clear: he is not content to sit on the sidelines. If Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira settle the belt in Miami, ‘Starboy’ plans to be next—and he wants momentum, not patience, to carry him into that shot.