Joshua Van Defends UFC Flyweight Title Against Manel Kape at UFC 336 in Toronto

Joshua Van is set to put his UFC flyweight title on the line against Manel Kape at UFC 336 on January 30 in Toronto, the champion's next test after a run that has already produced two wins over Alexandre Pantoja and a stoppage of Tatsuro Taira.

Van, 25, is 18-2-0 and fights out of 4oz. Fight Club for Myanmar. The reigning champion has won his three most recent recorded fights, all in title bouts: a first-round TKO of Pantoja at UFC 323 on December 6, 2025, a fifth-round TKO of Taira at UFC 328 on May 9, 2026, and a unanimous decision over Pantoja in the rematch at UFC 331 on September 19, 2026. His numbers back up the pace: 8.26 significant strikes landed per minute at 57 percent accuracy, with 0.7 takedowns per 15 minutes.

Kape, 32, arrives as the number two ranked flyweight with a 23-7-0 record. The Angolan southpaw trains at Xtreme Couture and has finished each of his three most recent recorded fights by KO or TKO. He stopped Asu Almabayev in the third round on March 1, 2025, took out Brandon Royval in the first round on December 13, 2025, and beat Kyoji Horiguchi by third-round TKO on June 20, 2026.

Why it matters

• Age gap: Kape is seven years older than the 25-year-old champion.
• Reach: both men stand five-foot-five, but Kape's 68-inch reach (173 cm) is three inches longer than Van's 65 inches (165 cm).
• Output: Van lands 8.26 significant strikes per minute to Kape's 4.68, a gap of 3.58, while accuracy is close at 57 to 55 percent.
• Finishing form: Kape's last three wins all ended in stoppages, while Van's last two defenses went a full five rounds in one and ended in the fifth in the other.

The bout gives Kape the chance to turn a three-fight knockout streak into a title. For Van, a third straight title win would extend a reign that has been built on beating the division's established names.