Manel Kape’s positioning as the clear next challenger for flyweight champion Joshua Van drives the heavy trader consensus around that matchup. Fresh off a four-fight win streak capped by a third-round stoppage of Kyoji Horiguchi in June 2026, Kape has repeatedly stated in mid-October interviews that he is the number-one contender and expects the title bout in January 2027 rather than December. Van’s recent successful defense against Alexandre Pantoja further cements the pairing as the logical next step in the division. While an injury, a surprise UFC booking for Van against Tatsuro Taira or a returning Pantoja, or an unexpected contender surge could still shift the timeline, the current skin-in-the-game pricing reflects broad agreement that Kape has earned the immediate crack at the belt.