Manel Kape doesn't see the UFC flyweight title changing hands at UFC 327.

Kape (22-7 MMA, 7-3 UFC), one of the top contenders in the division, who should arguably be fighting the champ Joshua Van at the numbered event in April, sees the fight going a particular way, given the challenger Tatsuro Taira's tendencies.

"It's an interesting fight – I don't know," Kape told MMA Junkie. "To beat Joshua, you have to be very aggressive, and I don't know if Tatsuro Taira have that aggression on the striking going forward, you know? Because we saw Joshua Van already, he was pretty good with another Japanese guy he fought. He had an incredible takedown defense. Rei Tsuruya, in my opinion, is more aggressive than Tatsuro Taira in terms of going for takedowns and going to push forward.

"Tatusro Taira is more like the kind of style, not so aggressive striking, but more aggressive on the ground, but the fight doesn't start on the ground. I don't know, man. I think I'm going with Joshua Van."

Kape and Van (16-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) were presented with the opportunity to fight each other on short notice, but things didn't work out. They may disagree on why that was the case, but Kape's main position is that he was simply unable to take a very short-notice fight due to being unable to make championship weight. The calls were made when Kayla Harrison was forced out of her UFC 324 title fight against Amanda Nunes due to neck surgery.

"It was impossible to make that fight in two weeks – to make the weight," Kape said. "If they told me that, 'Look, maybe you're gonna fight because Kayla's injuries,' then of course, I'll try to be lighter. But to me, after the fights, I become very heavy. After the weigh-ins, I enter the fight to the cage almost 158, 159. That's the weight I walk around in the cage. So of course, all of this is impossible. I didn't even say no, I just went to the nutrition. UFC called the nutrition and they say, 'No, he can't make the weight.'"

Now, Kape is set to rematch Kyoji Horiguchi in the main event of UFC Vegas 119 on June 20. The winner will be in a strong position to face the winner of Van vs. Taira.

"I think flyweight division, right now, is the best division in the world," Kape said. "I'm the strong character right now in the whole division. It doesn't matter who have the belt. I know my fight on June 20 is going to have more noise than this fight in April, and more eyes are gonna be (on it)."

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Manel Kape offers prediction for UFC 327 flyweight title fight