UFC Vegas 112 winner Manel Kape sends fiery warning to Joshua Van

Manel Kape had some words for Joshua Van following his emphatic UFC Vegas 112 victory.

Kape and Brandon Royval entered the UFC Apex this past Saturday in hopes of moving one step closer to a flyweight title opportunity. Kape ended up being the one who made quite a statement. He scored a first-round knockout win that earned him a “Performance of the Night” bonus.

Kape also believes he has secured a shot at Van’s UFC Flyweight Championship. During his post-fight interview with UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping, Kape had a warning for “The Fearless” (via MMAJunkie).

“You replaced my place, now you have my belt,” Kape said. “If I didn’t break my feet in July, I would be the champion right now. Now, baby, listen very well: I’m here. Your daddy. Your daddy is gonna take your diapers.

“Nobody can deny my belt,” Kape said. “I’m the best here. I’m the f*cking best.”

During the UFC Vegas 112 post-fight press conference, Kape went as far as to say Van was “scared” of him. It didn’t take long for the 24-year-old champion to respond on his X account.

Houston TX @ManelKape
Let’s run it! Talk is cheap @ufc

— Joshua Van (@JoshuaVanBT) December 14, 2025

“Houston TX, @ManelKape. Let’s run it! Talk is cheap,” Van wrote.

Kape is now riding a three-fight winning streak. “Starboy” has gone 7-1 in his last eight outings. In that span, he has defeated Royval, Asu Almabayev, and Bruno Silva to name a few.

The 125-pound division is heating up amid Alexandre Pantoja’s injury at UFC 323, which put an abrupt end to his title run. Aside from Kape, Tatsuro Taira is another name that has emerged as a potential title contender. He recently defeated former champion Brandon Moreno via second-round TKO.

Speaking to reporters, Kape pointed out that Taira lost to Royval and he believes the math wouldn’t make sense if the Japanese star gets a title shot before he does.