UFC flyweight contender Manel Kape revealed his timeline for getting a title shot against UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van.
Kape knocked out Kyoji Horiguchi in the main event of UFC Vegas 119. It was Kape’s fourth straight win inside the Octagon, with all four of his wins coming over ranked opponents, and with all of those wins coming by knockout.
That kind of streak typically punches a fighter’s ticket to a title shot. But for Kape, he is OK with waiting for Van to fight the former champion Alexandre Pantoja in a rematch first.
Manel Kape Says He’s OK With Waiting for UFC Flyweight Title Shot
Speaking to the UFC on Paramount+ crew after his knockout win over Horiguchi at UFC Vegas 119, Kape said that while he knows he is deserving of fighting for UFC 125 lbs gold, he is prepared to wait for his title shot as he has things outside of the Octagon that he wants to take care of at the moment, opening the door for the Van vs. Pantoja rematch.
“The first conversation with the UFC, this fight (with Horiguchi) was not supposed to happen. They told me I could wait (for a title shot). I said to myself, ‘I’m not going to wait all this year when they fight or whatever, I want to fight.’ So when they gave me Kyoji, I immediately said ‘Yes’ to (UFC CBO Hunter Campbell). ‘Let’s go,’” Kape said.
“So, right now, they can fight. I want to take some time off. I want to be more close to my business now, where I have the nice pouches. I have my business, and I want to go to Angola and Africa and do some advertisement too. So I have some business there, too, I want to take care of this, and focus a little bit with family and friends that I see long time, then rest and come back again.”
Timeline for Van vs. Pantoja 2 Bout
With Kape seemingly stepping aside for the moment, the UFC is free to book the rematch between Van and Pantoja for an upcoming numbered UFC card.
Taking a look ahead at the next couple of numbered events, UFC 329 and UFC 330 are both booked up, so Van vs. Pantoja 2 won’t happen this summer. But in the fall, UFC 331 takes place in September, and that card does not have a main event yet, though there are some rumors it could be headlined by UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev. If that’s the case, then Van vs. Pantoja 2 would make a lot of sense as the co-main event of that bout.
Based on Kape’s timeline for his return and considering Van vs. Pantoja 2 is likely next since Kape is okay with waiting for his title shot, the knockout artist might not return until early 2027 for his title shot against the winner of the rematch. Unless, of course, the UFC doesn’t want to give Pantoja the title shot anymore, in which case they may make Kape an offer he can’t refuse to get him back into the Octagon ASAP to fight Van in what would surely be a Fight of the Year candidate.
Adam Martin Adam Martin is a sports journalist with over 15 years of experience. He has a speciality in MMA, while also covering the Big 4 Sports. Adam is currently a contributor to Heavy.com, with previous experience working for The Toronto Star, Sportsnet, theScore, Bookies, BJPenn.com, and MMAOddsbreaker.com. More about Adam Martin
