{"id":947084,"date":"2026-10-26T16:00:20","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T16:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/947084\/"},"modified":"2026-10-26T16:00:20","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T16:00:20","slug":"manel-kape-sends-violent-warning-to-joshua-van-ahead-of-ufc-336-title-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/947084\/","title":{"rendered":"Manel Kape Sends Violent Warning to Joshua Van Ahead of UFC 336 Title Fight"},"content":{"rendered":"

Manel Kape wasted no time before kicking off the pre-fight trash talk for his recently-announced UFC 336 bout with Joshua Van. <\/p>\n

Set to take place Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, UFC 336 is the first numbered UFC event scheduled for 2027 and will see the world\u2019s leading MMA promotion return to Toronto for the first time since 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Announced during the broadcast for UFC 333 last Saturday<\/a>, UFC 336 will see Carlos Prates and Michael Morales meet in an interim welterweight title bout in the co-main event before Kape challenges UFC Flyweight Champion Van in the final fight of the night. <\/p>\n

Joshua Van vs. Manel Kape Headlines UFC 336 in Toronto <\/p>\n

While the decision to book an interim title bout between Prates and Morales was a bit unexpected<\/a>, all signs seemed to point towards a fight between Kape and Van<\/a> following the latter fighter\u2019s successful title defense at UFC 331.<\/p>\n

\"Joshua<\/p>\n

Joshua Van looks on before his flyweight title bout against Alexandre Pantoja (not pictured) during UFC 331 at Crypto.com Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

There seems to be plenty of bad blood between the two men that has already translated into some headed exchanges online, and Kape took confirmation of their UFC 336 title fight as an opportunity to fire another shot at Van. <\/p>\n

You better spend time working on that defense, kid, or ask the UFC to let u wear a helmet. You have my permission \ud83e\udee1 Cuz I\u2019m coming to do some serious damage to that pea head. https:\/\/t.co\/22VPzgzRwp<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Manel Kape (@ManelKape) October 26, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cYou better spend time working on that defense, kid, or ask the UFC to let u wear a helmet. You have my permission Cuz I\u2019m coming to do some serious damage to that pea head.\u201d<\/p>\n

Manel Kape Has Knocked Out Four-Straight UFC Opponents<\/p>\n

Already a veteran of 19 professional MMA bouts before he joined the UFC in 2021, Kape made a name for himself during a nine-fight run with top Japanese promotion RIZIN that began when he scored a first-round knockout in his 2017 debut.<\/p>\n

After going 1-2 with RIZIN in 2018, \u201cStarboy\u201d put together a three-fight win streak of knockouts in 2019 that was capped off a second-round finish of Kai Asakura in their rematch at RIZIN 20 to win the promotion\u2019s vacant bantamweight belt. <\/p>\n

\"Joshua<\/p>\n

Manel Kape (red gloves) fights Bruno Silva (blue gloves) at Amalie Arena. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

Kape signed with the UFC in 2020 but wasn\u2019t able to enter the Octagon for his debut until 2021 when he came up short against future UFC flyweight titleholder Alexander Pantoja, and the following month he also dropped a split decision to Matheus Nicolau. <\/p>\n

\"Manel<\/p>\n

Manel Kape (red gloves) reacts after defeating Bruno Silva (blue gloves) at Amalie Arena. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

\u201cStarboy\u201d collected back-to-back wins before the end of the year to kick off what turned into a four-fight win streak\u00a0that Muhammad Mokaev ended at UFC 304<\/a>, but since then Kape has knocked out four-straight opponents and secured three \u201cPerformance of the Night\u201d bonuses in a row. <\/p>\n

Joshua Van Has Defended the UFC Flyweight Belt Twice<\/p>\n

Fans celebrated the quality of last Saturday\u2019s UFC 333 card and its highly-anticipated title bouts<\/a>, and Kape\u2019s first title shot at UFC 336 also promises to be another fan-friendly affair given the body of work Van has also put together as of late. <\/p>\n

\"Joshua<\/p>\n

Joshua Van (blue gloves) reacts after the fight against Alexandre Pantoja (red gloves) during UFC 323 at T-Mobile Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

A former Fury FC titleholder, Kape was originally slated to compete on Dana White\u2019s Contender Series before he stepped in to face Zhalgas Zhumagulov in a short-notice UFC debut and got his hand raised via split decision. <\/p>\n

\"Joshua<\/p>\n

Joshua Van (red gloves) fights Tatsuro Taira (blue gloves) during UFC 328 at Prudential Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

The win over Zhumagulov was followed by two more victories before Van suffered an upset at the hands of Charles Johnson<\/a>, but \u201cThe Fearless rebounded with five-straight wins to set up a title fight with the aforementioned Pantoja at UFC 323. <\/p>\n

\"Joshua<\/p>\n

Joshua Van (red gloves) reacts after defeating Alexandre Pantoja (not pictured) in the flyweight title bout during UFC 331 at Crypto.com Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

Van ended up winning the belt in anticlimactic fashion when Pantoja injured his arm just 26 seconds into the fight<\/a>, but the 25-year-old has now firmly solidified his place as flyweight champion after defending the title twice against Tatsuro Taira and in a rematch with Pantoja at UFC 331. <\/p>\n

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