Joshua Van vs. Manel Kape flyweight title grudge match headlines UFC 336

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Arguably the biggest grudge match in flyweight title history will serve as the UFC 336 co-main event.

Champion Joshua Van will seek a third defense of his belt just 13 months after winning it when he takes on streaking knockout artist Manel Kape in the headliner of the Jan. 30 event at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto (Paramount+).

The announcement for Van (18-2 MMA, 11-1 UFC) vs. Kape (23-7 MMA, 8-3 UFC) at UFC 336 was made during Saturday's UFC 333 broadcast in Abu Dhabi.

Van, No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie flyweight rankings, silenced any skepticism about his title reign in September when he outworked former longtime titleholder Alexandre Pantojafor a decision in their UFC 331 rematch. Prior to that, the 25-year-old defended gold vs. Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328 in May in a Fight of the Year contender.

Looking to end Van's reign will be No. 2-ranked Kape, who has been on a tear with four straight knockout victories. The 32-year-old has put Kyoji Horiguchi, Brandon Royval, Asu Almabayev and Bruno Silva to solidify his first chance at UFC gold.

The latest UFC 336 lineup includes:

  • Joshua Van vs. Manel Kape – for flyweight title
  • Carlos Prates vs. Michael Morales – for interim welterweight title

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Joshua Van vs. Manel Kape flyweight title grudge match headlines UFC 336