UFC 336 has its main event. Joshua Van will defend his flyweight title against Manel Kape on January 30 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada. The matchup was announced during the UFC 333 broadcast in Abu Dhabi.
The 25-year-old champion has taken the division by storm. Van first made a statement when he accepted a short-notice fight against Brandon Royval and delivered a Fight of the Year-worthy performance. He eventually captured the flyweight title after then-champion Alexandre Pantoja suffered a freak injury just seconds into their fight.
While some questioned Van’s title win at UFC 323, he quickly silenced the doubters by defending his belt against Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328 and Pantoja at UFC 331. Both fights turned into instant classics and serious Fight of the Year contenders. Now, Van will look to make it three successful title defenses in just 13 months.
SOME FIGHTS JUST MAKE SENSE
@JoshuaVanBT vs @ManelKape
[ #UFC336 | Jan 30 | LIVE on @paramountplus ] https://t.co/tdxnd19Wq4
— UFC (@ufc) October 24, 2026
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Meanwhile, Kape has been waiting for his shot at the top for a while, and he’s finally put together the kind of run that makes him hard to ignore. The 32-year-old is riding a five-fight winning streak, with four straight finishes. Most recently, he knocked out Kyoji Horiguchi in the third round to strengthen his case as the division’s No. 1 contender.
Kape has also picked up wins over Brandon Royval, Asu Almabayev, and Bruno Silva during his recent run. Now, he finally gets his first opportunity to fight for UFC gold.
There’s also plenty of bad blood between the two. Van and Kape have traded heated words on social media, adding another layer of intrigue to an already exciting title fight.
The co-main event will also feature a high-stakes matchup, with Carlos Prates and Michael Morales fighting for the interim welterweight title at UFC 336.