Joshua Van and Manel Kape Booked for UFC 336 in Toronto

The UFC has booked Joshua Van against Manel Kape for UFC 336 in Toronto, with the matchup described as official.

Van arrives as the reigning flyweight champion. The 25-year-old from Myanmar, who trains out of 4oz. Fight Club, is 18-2-0 and has won his last three recorded fights, all in title bouts. He took the belt with a first-round KO/TKO of Alexandre Pantoja on December 6, 2025, then stopped Tatsuro Taira in the fifth round at UFC 328 on May 9, 2026. His most recent recorded fight was a unanimous decision over Pantoja in their rematch at UFC 331 on September 19, 2026. Van lands 8.26 significant strikes per minute at 57 percent accuracy.

Kape enters as the number two ranked flyweight. The 32-year-old Angolan, who fights out of Xtreme Couture, is 23-7-0 and has finished his last three recorded opponents by KO/TKO: Asu Almabayev in round three in March 2025, Brandon Royval in round one in December 2025, and Kyoji Horiguchi in round three on June 20, 2026. A southpaw, Kape lands 4.68 significant strikes per minute at 55 percent accuracy.

Why it matters

• Title stakes: Van puts the flyweight belt on the line against the division's number two contender, who has not gone to a decision in his last three recorded bouts.
• Volume gap: Van's 8.26 significant strikes landed per minute is roughly 3.58 more than Kape's 4.68, nearly double the output.
• Physical contrast: the two stand the same at 165 cm, but Kape holds an eight-centimeter reach advantage, 173 cm to 165 cm.
• Age and activity: Kape is seven years older, while Van has fought three times in the last ten months, all for the title.

Van has already beaten Pantoja twice, and Kape has now beaten three straight opponents inside the distance. The grappling numbers are modest on both sides: Van averages 0.7 takedowns per 15 minutes and Kape 0.36, so the matchup shapes up as one decided largely on the feet.