Manel Kape has his eyes locked on UFC gold, and according to the flyweight contender, Joshua Van is the man standing between him and the championship. The 32-year-old confirmed that he expects to challenge Van for the title next, with the fight now expected to go down in January 2027.

Speaking with Daniel Cormier on his YouTube channel, Manel Kape made it clear that he’s next in line, while revealing that December would be too soon for the matchup.

“Well, first off, are you the number one contender?” Cormier asked. “Are you getting the title fight next? Do you know that for sure?”

Manel Kape repeatedly answered, “Yes,” leaving little doubt about his confidence in getting the next crack at the flyweight title.

When ‘DC’ asked about the potential date, the 32-year-old revealed that December had initially been discussed but that January 2027 was now the more likely window.

“I think we was supposed to fight in December, but it will be too… it’s too early. I probably, I believe, January,” he replied.

Although Manel Kape expects to fight Van in January, the UFC has yet to officially announce a date or venue. Still, the contender has made his intentions loud and clear, and his recent run makes it easy to see why he believes the next title shot should be his.

A broken foot in June 2025 derailed Kape’s momentum, but he has since bounced back with four consecutive stoppage wins. The injury forced him out of a scheduled clash with Brandon Royval, opening the door for Joshua Van to step in and beat Royval before eventually earning his own shot at Alexandre Pantoja.

‘Starboy’ finally got his hands on Royval in December, and he made the wait worth it. The Angolan contender knocked him out in the first round, extending his streak to three consecutive stoppage wins. But even that wasn’t enough to land him the next title shot, as Tatsuro Taira got the nod to challenge Van instead.

That left Manel Kape with more work to do, and he delivered at UFC Vegas 119 on June 20, 2026, against Kyoji Horiguchi. The matchup was personal, too. Horiguchi had submitted the 32-year-old with an arm-triangle choke when they first met in RIZIN back in 2017.

‘Karate Kid’ looked sharp early, using his striking and wrestling to control stretches of the first two rounds. But Kape gradually found his rhythm and turned the tide in the third. After weathering more pressure, he connected with a right hand that rocked the Japanese star before unleashing a follow-up barrage to seal the TKO at 2:42.

The TKO marked Kape’s fourth consecutive stoppage and seventh win in eight fights, strengthening his case for a title shot against Joshua Van.

Van, meanwhile, has reinforced his position atop the division with back-to-back title defenses, including a dominant rematch against Pantoja at UFC 331, cruising to a unanimous decision with scorecards of 49-46, 48-47, and 50-45.

The victory marked Van’s second successful title defense and gave him a five-round win over ‘The Cannibal’ after their first meeting ended in just 26 seconds of the opening round.

And with eight fights under his belt over the past two years, the flyweight kingpin clearly isn’t interested in taking a long break while the division figures out who’s next. Fresh off his win, the champion took to social media to call Manel Kape out directly, making sure his potential next opponent knew exactly what he thought.

“Yo fat f—,” Van wrote. “Start cutting now cuz u better make weight! We don’t want another weight excuse. Let’s give the people what they want!”

The matchup now appears to be the next step, pending an official announcement from the UFC. However, Manel Kape isn’t just eyeing gold anymore. He’s already thinking about who he wants to fight after becoming champion, and he’s got a familiar name in mind: Kai Kara-France.

‘Starboy’ wants to settle their unfinished business inside the Octagon, and he even believes winning the flyweight title could be the push Kara-France needs to finally face him.

Manel Kape calls out Kai Kara-France for a potential title defense

Manel Kape and Kai Kara-France were originally scheduled to fight at UFC 293 in Australia, but the matchup fell apart after the New Zealander suffered a concussion during training.

Kara-France returned at UFC 305 in August 2024, knocking out Steve Erceg in the first round before challenging Alexandre Pantoja for the flyweight title at UFC 317 in June 2025. He lost by third-round submission, but his rivalry with Kape remains unresolved.

Now, ‘Starboy’ believes becoming champion could give his longtime rival all the motivation he needs to get back in the cage with him.

“I want to question, where is Kai Kara France?” Kape asked Daniel Cormier. “Where is this guy? After I get my title. He probably going to… can be the next.

“I think I’ll be a great motivation for him to get from the couch, you know. I think I’m going to be a great motivation to him.”

Of course, Manel Kape needs to get past Joshua Van first, and the champion’s shoulder could throw a wrench into the timeline. After his unanimous decision victory over Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331, Van revealed that he planned to have his right shoulder examined before deciding when he’d return to action.

The injury had already complicated the 25-year-old’s preparation for the rematch, with reports indicating that he couldn’t spar until the later stages of his training camp. Even so, he put on a strong performance against ‘The Cannibal’ to secure his second successful title defense.

And while Joshua Van has welcomed the challenge of facing whoever the UFC puts in front of him next, his recovery will play a role in determining when he can return. Manel Kape, meanwhile, has his priorities straight: get past Van, win the belt, and then go after Kara-France.

For now, the flyweight throne comes first. But if Kape gets his hands on UFC gold, he’s already got his first target picked out.