TLDR
- Joshua Van successfully defended his flyweight title with a unanimous decision over Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331
- Manel Kape immediately called out Van on social media following the title defense
- Betting odds released for a potential Van vs. Kape fight favor Kape at -160 despite Van being the champion
- Kape is currently on a four-fight winning streak with all victories coming by knockout
- Van won all five rounds on one judge’s scorecard in his rematch with Pantoja
Sources: yardbarker.com | mmafighting.com
UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van successfully defended his title at UFC 331 on Saturday night in Los Angeles, but a top contender wasted no time calling for the next shot at his belt.
Van defeated former champion Alexandre Pantoja by unanimous decision in a rematch that went the full 25 minutes. Their first fight ended after just 26 seconds when Pantoja suffered an arm injury.
The 24-year-old champion dominated the scorecards, with one judge awarding him all five rounds. The fight earned “Fight of the Night” honors at UFC 331.
Joshua Van after his win at #UFC331:
"It feels great, but look at my face. I gotta plenty of work to do… I shouldn't be getting touched like this."
📺 @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/CYriJNw3bl
— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) September 20, 2026
Kape Issues Challenge on Social Media
Shortly after the results were announced, Manel Kape took to social media to challenge Van. “The perfect style for me to paint a masterpiece,” Kape wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Kape is currently ranked #2 in the flyweight division in both Meta AI and media rankings. The Portuguese fighter is riding a four-fight winning streak with all victories coming by knockout.
The 32-year-old’s recent surge follows an earlier rough patch in his UFC career. Kape lost his first two UFC fights in 2021, dropping decisions to Pantoja and Matheus Nicolau after joining the promotion from RIZIN.
He rebounded with back-to-back knockouts and two unanimous decisions before losing to the undefeated Muhammad Mokaev at UFC 304. Since then, Kape has stopped Bruno Silva and three other opponents, all by knockout.
Betting Lines Favor Challenger Over Champion
BetOnline released betting odds for a potential Van vs. Kape title fight following UFC 331. The lines installed Kape as the favorite at -160, with Van listed as the underdog at +140.
Those odds give Kape a 61.5 percent chance of winning the flyweight championship. The public has already bet the line down to near pick’em odds.
Van has maintained a busy schedule since joining the UFC. He previously defended his belt against Tatsuro Taira in May while Pantoja recovered from his arm injury.
The champion also defeated #3-ranked Brandon Royval on his way to winning the flyweight title. His stoppage of #4-ranked Taira at UFC 328 was considered a “Fight of the Year” candidate.
Kape began his mixed martial arts career with an eight-fight run in RIZIN, winning the promotion’s bantamweight belt on New Year’s Eve in 2019. He made his UFC debut two years later.
The only other fight that could impact the title picture is the upcoming UFC 333 bout between Lone’er Kavanagh and Ramazan Temirov. That matchup could produce another top contender depending on the outcome.
A title fight between Van and Kape would likely feature heavy striking action, as both fighters are known for their stand-up abilities. Van has kept a quick turnaround schedule throughout his UFC career, though he may take time to recover after the hard-fought battle with Pantoja.
