Manel Kape holds overwhelming market consensus as Joshua Van’s next opponent because the flyweight contender sits atop the division rankings with four straight wins, including a recent TKO over Kyoji Horiguchi, and has publicly demanded the title shot while trading barbs with the champion. Van, fresh off a unanimous decision defense of the belt against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331 in September, has no bout scheduled, leaving the matchup as the clearest path forward per official contender positioning and recent form. Lower-priced names such as Asu Almabayev and Brandon Royval reflect limited recent momentum or ranking proximity. Shifts could occur if Van sustains an injury like the AC joint issue he managed before UFC 331, if the UFC prioritizes another ranked flyweight, or if Kape suffers an unexpected setback before an official announcement.