UFC Champion Joshua Van Called Out for Massive Next Fight after UFC 331 Title Defense

Should the UFC book "The Fearless" vs. "Starboy" next?

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

One top flyweight contender has already put himself forth as the next challenger for Joshua Van following UFC 331.

After their first fight ended in just 26 seconds due to an arm injury, fans finally got to see
Van and former UFC flyweight titleholder Alexandre Pantoja run things back last Saturday when they headlined UFC 331 in Los Angeles, CA.

Van was a small favorite to get his hand raised heading into the bout, and the 24-year-old ultimately took a unanimous decision and won all five rounds on one judge’s scorecard after he and Pantoja went 25 minutes in the Octagon together.

Joshua Van Challenged by Manel Kape Following UFC 331 Title Defense

The lopsided scoring from one judge raised more than a few eyebrows after the scorecards were read, as both flyweight stars had moments of significant success during a bout that took home “Fight of the Night” honors once UFC 331 was all said and done.

Joshua Van (red gloves) fights Alexandre Pantoja (blue gloves) during UFC 331 at Crypto.com Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With any lingering questions about the outcome of that first Pantoja fight finally put to bed, Van can now turn his attention to the rest of the flyweight division – including top-ranked contender Manel Kape.

The perfect style for me to paint a masterpiece. https://t.co/4jtWsnH8nw

— Manel Kape (@ManelKape) September 20, 2026

“The perfect style for me to paint a masterpiece.”

Joshua Van (red gloves) reacts after defeating Alexandre Pantoja (not pictured) in the flyweight title bout during UFC 331 at Crypto.com Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“The Fearless” certainly deserves some rest after a hard-fought win over Pantoja, but Van has kept a torrid schedule since joining the UFC and also successfully defended his belt for the first time against Tatsuro Taira in May while Pantoja was still recovering from his arm injury.

Manel Kape Has Knocked Out Four-Straight UFC Opponents

Currently sitting at #2 in both the Meta AI and media rankings for the UFC flyweight division, Kape is currently on the best run of his UFC career.

Manel Kape during weigh-ins for UFC Fight Night at Amalie Arena. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Following an eight-fight run with RIZIN that ended when he claimed the promotion’s bantamweight belt on New Year’s Eve in 2019, Kape made his UFC debut against Pantoja in 2021 and dropped a unanimous decision.

Manel Kape (red gloves) fights Bruno Silva (blue gloves) at Amalie Arena. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

A follow-up loss to Matheus Niolau left Kape on an 0-2 run to start his UFC career, but “Starboy” rebounded with back-to-back knockouts of Ode Osbourne and Zhalgas Zhumagulov before he also took unanimous decisions over David Dvorak and Felipe dos Santos.

Manel Kape (red gloves) fights Felipe Dos Santos (blue gloves) during UFC 293 at Qudos Bank Arena. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The still-undefeated Muhammad Mokaev halted Kape’s winning streak and run to title contention at UFC 304 before the 32-yeay-old stopped Bruno Silva later that year, which kicked off what has become another four-fight wins streak that’s seen the Portuguese star knock out every opponent he’s faced.

Should the UFC Book Joshua Van vs. Manel Kape Next?

A title fight between Van and Kape would almost certainly produce fireworks given that the two men pride themselves on their striking ability, and that matchup seems to also make the most sense based on the current landscape of the flyweight division.

Joshua Van walks out before his flyweight title bout against Alexandre Pantoja (not pictured) during UFC 331 at Crypto.com Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“The Fearless” already bested #3-ranked Brandon Royval on his way to flyweight gold and stopped #4-ranked Taira in their “Fight of the Year” candidate at UFC 328, and the only other fight that could potentially produce a rival to Kape’s title aspirations is the upcoming UFC 333 bout between Lone’er Kavanagh and Ramazan Temirov.