Manel Kape Says Joshua Van Would Be Put to Sleep in First Round, Compares Fight to Silva-Griffin

Manel Kape is projecting total confidence ahead of a potential meeting with flyweight champion Joshua Van, saying he would stop the titleholder inside the opening round. Fresh off his knockout win over Kyoji Horiguchi, Kape likened the matchup to Anderson Silva's famous clash with Forrest Griffin, a fight Silva dominated.

The quote attributed to him names Horiguchi rather than Van as the one who would be put to sleep, but the intent is clear: Kape believes he is on another level from the champion.

Kape, 23-7, sits second in the flyweight rankings. The 32-year-old Angolan southpaw trains out of Xtreme Couture and stands five-foot-five with a 68-inch reach. He lands 4.68 significant strikes per minute at 55 percent accuracy, and his recent knockout of Horiguchi, a veteran ranked fifth, reinforced his case as a top contender.

Van, 25, holds the flyweight title with an 18-2 record. Fighting out of 4oz. Fight Club, the Myanmar native is also five-foot-five, with a 65-inch reach. His output is the heavier of the two: he lands 8.26 significant strikes per minute at 57 percent accuracy, nearly double Kape's volume. He adds 0.7 takedowns per 15 minutes and 0.3 submission attempts.

Horiguchi, 36, is 36-6 and has long been a fixture of the division. His wrestling profile, at 1.67 takedowns per 15 minutes, stands apart from Kape's more striking-centric approach.

Why it matters

• Kape's second-place ranking and fresh knockout win give him a credible claim to a title shot.
• The style contrast is stark: Van's high-volume pressure against Kape's power-oriented southpaw striking.
• The Silva-Griffin comparison frames Kape as the more skilled striker expecting to pick the champion apart.
• No bout between Kape and Van has been announced, so his comments amount to calling his shot.