After securing a first-round TKO victory over Brandon Royval, Manel Kape now has his sights set on newly minted UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van.
Van became the 125-pound kingpin at UFC 323 earlier this month after dethroning Alexandre Pantoja, whose shoulder was dislocated in Round 1 of the title fight. With the fight ending too quickly and in an unfortunate manner, both the fighters and the UFC have agreed to reschedule the fight once ‘The Cannibal’ has fully recovered.
Meanwhile, following tonight’s win at UFC Vegas 112, Kape has called up Van. During the post-fight presser, ‘Starboy’ was asked to give his early prediction on how he sees a fight with ‘The Fearless’ going. Kape said:
“This has been in my head for a long time. I’m also going to pretty much knock him out. I know they have no hands for me. Five rounds can take a lot of time. I can take my time. I can shine, but if they make a mistake, I’ll knock them out in the first round. But like I said, in the first round I want to play with my food and in the second round I can do my job. So it won’t be any different.”
Check out Manel Kape’s comments on a possible Joshua Van fight below:
During the same interview, Kape added that Van is already scared and that is why he has not responded to the former’s calls. ‘Starboy’ has vowed to be the 24-year-old’s worst nightmare until he takes the flyweight championship.
What’s next for Joshua Van?
Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja will probably do it again early next year. Pantoja’s coach recently announced that his student not suffered any fractures at UFC 323. However, his shoulder is still swollen and further evaluation will be needed to find out if there are ligament injuries.
If Pantoja recovers quickly, a title rematch is the most obvious choice the promotion will make. However, if ‘The Cannibal’ remains sidelined longer, Kape or Tatsuro Taira will be Van’s next challenge.
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