Joshua Van vs. Manel Kape flyweight title fight officially confirmed for UFC 336 in Canada
The UFC has officially confirmed archrivals Joshua Van and Manel Kape will do battle in a flyweight title tilt at the UFC 336 event in Canada.
Joshua Van and Manel Kape are finally set to clash inside the Octagon, following a number of jibes exchanged over the course of their fierce rivalry.
The UFC has officially confirmed that Van will defend his UFC flyweight championship against Kape at UFC 336.
During the ongoing UFC 333 live broadcast, the consensus world's premier MMA organization announced the Van-Kape matchup, which has been rumored to be on the cards since Van's latest fight that was held last month.
Joshua Van vs. Manel Kape will headline UFC 336
The UFC broadcast team, as well as the UFC's official social media handles, have put forth the announcement regarding Joshua Van vs. Manel Kape.
Their UFC flyweight championship showdown is all set to serve as the headlining match of the UFC 336 event, which will go down at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on January 30, 2027.
Intriguingly, the UFC 336 card will be co-headlined by an interim UFC welterweight championship matchup, as top contenders Carlos Prates and Michael Morales clash in a high-stakes fight.
The consensus was that UFC welterweight kingpin Islam Makhachev would defend his title against Prates at UFC 336. Nevertheless, the MMA community was recently set abuzz by reports that Makhachev wouldn't compete at the event, as its timeline didn't work for him.
SOME FIGHTS JUST MAKE SENSE @JoshuaVanBT vs @ManelKape [ #UFC336 | Jan 30 | LIVE on @paramountplus ] https://t.co/tdxnd19Wq4
— UFC (@ufc) October 24, 2026
Joshua Van looks to extend win streak, Manel Kape eyes maiden UFC title at UFC 336
Joshua Van is currently on an eight-fight win streak since his KO defeat against Charles Johnson in 2024. "The Fearless" would now be looking to extend his unbeaten run to nine.
The Burmese-American combatant bagged the UFC flyweight belt by beating Alexandre Pantoja via TKO, owing to the latter suffering a mid-fight arm injury, last year. Van's first defense of the 125-pound throne saw him outlast Tatsuro Taira by way of TKO back in May. The 25-year-old then outpointed Pantoja in their rematch last month, notching his second successful title defense.
On the other hand, Manel Kape boasts the honor of being a former Rizin bantamweight champion. The Angolan-Portuguese fighter is on a four-fight winning streak. It's noteworthy that each of those victories came by way of KO/TKO.
The 32-year-old last competed in June, besting Kyoji Horiguchi via TKO. Many believe that "Starboy" is the most dangerous challenge for the young Van in the current UFC flyweight landscape.
Furthermore, their UFC 336 main event matchup comes in the aftermath of fighting words and jabs being traded between the two fighters on social media.
