The UFC has not made it official, but the flyweight division's next title fight is practically writing itself on social media.

Multiple outlets have picked up the exchange, including, and, all describing a rivalry that has clearly moved past simple callouts into something more personal. separately reported that Van is calling for the Kape fight to be next, which lines up with everything else being said between the two.

The matchup makes plenty of sense on paper. Van has not lost a step since claiming the belt, having most recently beaten former champion Alexandre Pantoja by unanimous decision on September 19, 2026. That win pushed his Elo rating to 1613 across twelve tracked bouts, a number that reflects just how dominant his recent run has been.

Kape, meanwhile, has done nothing but stack the case for a title shot. He is ranked number one in the division and last fought on June 20, 2026, finishing Kyoji Horiguchi by knockout via punches in the third round at the 2:42 mark. His Elo sits at 1592 over seven bouts, a gap of just over twenty points behind Van, close enough that this would be a genuinely competitive five round fight if it gets made.

None of this guarantees the booking, but the public sniping between a champion and his most obvious contender rarely cools down on its own. A thread on r/MMA is already tracking the back and forth, with fans weighing in on Van's callout of Kape as the pressure builds for the UFC to make it official.