Manel Kape was kicked out of his upcoming battle with Brandon Roybal at UFC 317 for undisclosed reasons. As Kape was on the sidelines, Joshua Van accepted the short contender opportunity to face Loibal on the International Fight Week Card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on June 28th.
Loibal announced a new matchup on social media on Monday, confirming that additional sources in the MMA fight are working with Kape from the fight.
“Manel Kape has come out and Joshua Van is intervening,” Royval said. “I have zero thoughts about the extent of Manel Kupe’s injuries, but I know I have the hottest outlook and perhaps the most exciting UFC flyweight in front of my eyes. As for what’s right in front of me, nothing will change for me.
Van just competed at UFC 316 last weekend, earning a highlighted finish at Bruno Silva, earning his four straight wins. The 23-year-old fighter is tagged as one of the top prospects in the flyweight division, but makes a big leap in the competition when playing against the Loibal.
He later confirmed the news on social media.
June 28th to fight against the Loibal!!!
– Joshuavan (@joshuavanbt) June 9, 2025
Flyweight’s one-time title challenger, Royval is stubbornly close to the top of the rankings with a 2-0 resume in his last two fights, including a victory at former champion Brandon Moreno. Most recently, Loibal took Tatsurotaira in a five-round battle that won battle honors last October.
As Ilia Topuria moves to 155 pounds and faces Charles Oliveira to win a new lightweight champion, and flyweight King King Alexandre Pantoja puts his belt in the line with Kai Kara-France, the upcoming UFC 317 cards are headlined in the title fight.