Joshua Van fires back at Manel Kape’s “pea head” jibe with pointed response
Joshua Van responds to Manel Kape’s trash talk ahead of their flyweight title showdown at UFC 336 as tensions rise between the two rivals.
The rivalry between UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van and Manel Kape is heating up ahead of their scheduled headlining fight at UFC 336, which will go down on January 30, 2027, at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The two flyweights have exchanged verbal jabs on social media, with Kape sending a warning to the champion, and now Van has responded to the trash talk.
Joshua Van responds to Manel Kape’s brutal warning ahead of their flyweight title showdown
Kape recently took aim at Van, telling the champion to improve his defense before their highly anticipated showdown. The contender also made a pointed remark about Van's head, suggesting he would target it when they meet inside the octagon at UFC 336.
“You better spend time working on that defense, kid, or ask the UFC to let u wear a helmet. You have my permission. Cuz I’m coming to do some serious damage to that pea head,” Kape wrote
Van took notice of Kape’s X post and quickly responded by challenging the contender to make weight and show up for the fight, while also bringing up ‘Starboy’s’ previous toe injury issues.
“Shut yo as* up! Make weight n show up I better not hear another toes injury bs again,” Van responded.
Check out Joshua Van's X post below:
The two have long been trading verbal jabs on social media, and as the fight date gets closer, the rivalry will likely get even better, which will surely help sell the fight. Excitement for the bout has been building, and since both flyweights have great striking, fans can expect a striking war. And their recent performances have added to the excitement.
Joshua Van and Manel Kape’s recent performances
Van captured the flyweight title at UFC 323, where Alexandre Pantoja suffered an arm injury in the first round, and the fight was stopped. Following that, ‘The Fearless’ put on a spectacular performance and secured a TKO victory over Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328, marking his first successful title defense.
In his most recent bout, Van silenced all the doubters with an impressive performance in a five-round battle against Pantoja in their rematch at UFC 331. He secured a unanimous decision victory.
Meanwhile, Kape is riding high on confidence after knocking out his last four opponents, and he will try to do the same against Van at UFC 336.
Both fighters have the striking power to promise a knockout at UFC 336. It will be interesting to see who leaves the octagon with the UFC gold.
