Kape calls Van fight 'too easy' and likens it to Silva's iconic Griffin knockout

UFC flyweight contender Manel Kape has dismissed champion Joshua Van as a straightforward opponent, predicting a dominant performance should the two meet and comparing the anticipated stylistic mismatch to Anderson Silva’s first-round knockout of Forrest Griffin at UFC 101.

Speaking in an interview with Daniel Cormier, Kape said he expects a significant speed advantage over the 125-pound titleholder. “When I say this fight is going to be too easy, it’s going to be too easy,” Kape said. “He’s going to be very slow. The way he throws punches is going to be slow to me. This fight is going to be like Anderson Silva against Forrest Griffin. I apologize: I love Forrest Griffin, but it’s going to be like this. That’s the level I see… I’m above him.”

Kape’s confidence stems in part from his most recent victory — a third-round technical knockout of Kyoji Horiguchi, whom he regards as the hardest test in the flyweight division. He argued that result alone places him above Van in terms of competitive pedigree.

“I just beat the most difficult fighter in our division,” Kape said. “Kyoji is going to be there again. This guy is a different animal. You need to be very, very smart to fight this guy. You need to have knowledge. You need to have strategy to beat a karate guy like him. If it was Van against Kyoji, Kyoji would put him to sleep in the first round. That’s the way I see it. I know the levels of this game.”

Kape, known by the nickname “Starboy”, is positioning himself as the leading contender for a flyweight title shot. His willingness to invoke one of MMA’s most celebrated knockouts — Silva’s effortless dismantling of Griffin, widely regarded as a masterclass in timing and distance control — signals just how little he rates Van’s chances against him.

Whether the UFC moves to book the fight remains to be seen, but Kape has made his intentions and his self-assessment unmistakably clear.