Manel Kape eyes Joshua Van showdown with confident warning after UFC 331

After a UFC title fight, the most active people on social media are often not the champion but the contenders in the title mix, pitching their cases for a shot at the king of the division. The same has been happening after UFC 331.

Joshua Van successfully defended his flyweight title against Alexandre Pantoja in the UFC 331 headliner. Now Manel Kape, one of the contenders for the title shot, has sent a warning to the flyweight kingpin.

Manel Kape sends warning to champion Joshua Van

Van secured a unanimous decision victory in a back-and-forth five-round battle against Pantoja. The exciting fight has earned the fight of the night bonus. Following that, at the post-event presser, ‘The Fearless' was asked about his next challenge, with a reporter suggesting Kape could be the next opponent. 

Van didn't dismiss the potential matchup and said he is open to facing anyone the UFC offers him.

Kape, taking to his X account, reshared Van's comments on the potential matchup between the two. He promised that he would get the job done against the flyweight kingpin in emphatic fashion, which will leave MMA fans stunned.

“You’re all going to be surprised by how easy I make this fight look,” Kape wrote on X.

Check out Manel Kape’s X post below:

Kape is on an insane run in the flyweight division. In his most recent UFC outing, he knocked out Kyoji Horiguchi in the third round, marking his fourth straight win by knockout. With that impressive KO victory over Horiguchi, 'Starboy' is likely to earn the title shot.

With Van willing to fight whoever the UFC offers him and Kape openly calling for the opportunity, the flyweight division could be heading toward an interesting clash between two explosive strikers.

However, after five rounds of war with Pantoja at UFC 331, Van could take some time off to heal, and he revealed in the post-fight presser that he had an injury leading up to UFC 331, which could delay his potential matchup with Kape. 

Joshua Van’s shoulder injury could delay Manel Kape clash

In the aforementioned presser, Van shared that he suffered a shoulder injury during his camp for UFC 331. He revealed that the injury kept him away from sparring, and he was only able to spar just two weeks before the fight. 

“I don't know, coming into this fight, after the press conference at Philly, I tore my AC joint in my right shoulder, and I couldn't even spar. So the last two weeks were my first time sparring . In this camp, we did nothing but cardio; just running and stuff like that,” Van said. 

Van and Kape have an exciting, flashy style, and if they collide, it surely promises fireworks for the fans. It remains to be seen whether the UFC books this matchup or gives an opportunity to another flyweight contender.