The 125 Pound Question: Who Is Next For The Title?

Manel Kape def. Brandon Royval via round 1 knockout via mmajunkie.com

On December 13th, on the UFC’s final event with ESPN, a new flyweight title contender emerged.

The last two weeks for the flyweight division have been messy to say the least, and now that the dust has settled, the question is, where do we go from here?

Tatsuro Taira

In case you forgot, on December 6th, Joshua Van became the flyweight division’s newest champion. Despite the controversial victory, with Alexandre Pantoja snapping his elbow 90 seconds into the fight, the belt changed hands.

With Pantoja expected to be sidelined indefinitely, the division needs to move on. Joshua Van will undoubtedly be looking for a quick turnaround, having no injuries or barely even breaking a sweat. 

The first challenger could be Japanese star Tatsuro Taira. Taira possesses an 18-1 record, with his latest victory coming over former champion Brandon Moreno.

This was a statement victory from Taira, who brutalized Moreno en route to a second-round finish. As soon as Taira left the cage, he was the primary option for a title shot.

But only a week later, the division was once again shaken up.

Manel Kape

Manel Kape, the brash, outspoken, and controversial flyweight contender, has made headlines with hilarious trash talk. However, many fans have yet to recognize the undeniable talent he possesses. Lightning-quick hands coupled with freakish power for the weight class, Kape has been looking for a win to push him into title contention.

On Saturday night, he made a statement.

Kape defeated former title challenger and divisional bogeyman Brandon Royval in one round, becoming the first-ever fighter to knockout Royval.

He used his forward pressure, pushed Royval to the cage, and landed a straight right hand flush, sending Royval to the canvas.  

In his post-fight interview, Kape, as usual, cut a viral promo. He called out Joshua Van, saying it was only a matter of time before the champion was dethroned; that he’d never be the same again."Nobody can deny my belt, I'm the best here. I'm the f*cking best", and after his performance against Royval, Kape may be right.

With his victory, Kape may have leapfrogged the division for a title shot, and if he can dethrone Van, we may be looking at the most marketable fighter in UFC flyweight history.