TLDR
- Joshua Van accused Manel Kape of refusing a short-notice title fight at UFC 324 to replace an injured Kayla Harrison
- Kape said the UFC only gave him one week’s notice and he couldn’t make weight in that timeframe
- Kape challenged Van to fight at UFC 326 on March 7 with proper preparation time
- Van became champion by defeating Alexandre Pantoja in 26 seconds via injury TKO at UFC 323
- The UFC previously promised Pantoja an immediate rematch but has not announced Van’s first title defense
Sources: MMA Fighting | Sports Illustrated | BJPenn
UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van and top contender Manel Kape spent several days arguing on social media over a potential title fight that never happened. The dispute started when Van accused Kape of turning down a short-notice fight at UFC 324.
UFC 324 took place last Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The event was supposed to feature two championship fights but lost its co-main event when women’s bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison withdrew with a neck injury days before the show.
Harrison underwent surgery and is expected to miss around six months of competition. According to Van, the UFC considered having him defend his flyweight title against Kape as a replacement for the Harrison vs Amanda Nunes bout.
Do we have ourselves a TITLE FIGHT brewing between Joshua Van and Manel Kape? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/oX9wTuBTSS
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) January 27, 2026
Van Claims Kape Refused the Fight
Van took to social media to blast Kape for allegedly refusing the opportunity. “T**ty boi tell dem why u said NO the first time you fat b****h,” Van wrote in response to Kape’s comments about wanting a title shot.
Van later added: “Shut up u didn’t wanna sign the contract.” The champion suggested Kape had been offered a contract but turned it down.
Kape quickly fired back with his version of events. “Let me explain what this idiot is talking about,” Kape posted on X.
“First of all, there was never a contract. Second, the UFC ‘considered’ me fighting Joshua last Saturday to replace the Kayla vs Amanda fight but they told me only one week before.”
Kape said making weight on such short notice would have been impossible. “And obviously, there’s no way I’d make weight in one week lol,” he wrote.
The contender referenced Arman Tsarukyan, who recently faced criticism for missing weight. “And if I missed weight, I’d be more frozen than Arman Tsarukyan. Let’s do things the right way.”
Kape Proposes March 7 Title Fight
Kape continued to challenge Van throughout the exchange. He proposed they fight at UFC 326 on March 7, giving him proper time to prepare.
“What kind of contract are u talking about, u moron? I know you’re an individual with significant intellectual limitations, so I’ll give you a discount,” Kape wrote. “If you want me to sign a contract, let’s sign it for March 7th.”
Kape also brought up how Van became champion. “Don’t forget this: you’re only in this position because I broke my foot and you replaced me against Brandon Royval,” Kape posted.
Van won the flyweight title by defeating Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 323 in December. The fight ended after just 26 seconds when Pantoja suffered a serious arm injury while falling to the mat.
Van was declared the winner via injury TKO. UFC CEO Dana White said after the fight that the promotion would give Pantoja an immediate rematch.
Kape has won three fights in a row, most recently knocking out Brandon Royval in December at the UFC’s final event of 2025. That knockout victory came after Kape had defeated Royval’s previous opponent, making him a top contender in the division.
Van watched UFC 324 and posted his reaction to Alex Perez’s stoppage win over Charles Johnson. Johnson had previously knocked Van out in 2023, handing him his first UFC loss.
Kape responded by saying there should be no rematch with Johnson. “He knocked u out cold there is no rematch. You’re fighting me,” Kape wrote.
The UFC has not announced who Van will fight for his first title defense. If Pantoja needs more recovery time from his injury, Kape appears to be the most likely option as Van’s next opponent.
