Cage Warriors 99 results: James Webb stops Jason Radcliffe in round one

James Webb was predominantly known as a jiu-jitsu player when he first emerged in MMA, but the SBG Swords fighter showcased his powerful striking with a left hook stoppage of Jason Radcliffe in the first round of the Cage Warriors 99 main event Saturday in Colchester, England.

The meeting between Webb and Radcliffe was initially slated as the co-main event of the card, but was pushed to the top of the bill when Nathan Greyson was pulled from the event and subsequently stripped of his flyweight title, ruling out his title tussle with Blaine O’Driscoll.

Radcliffe crumbled as if in slow motion, grasping the side of his head, when the hometown fighter connected with the damaging shot. Webb followed up the hook with another left before the referee stepped in to stop the action with less than 90 seconds on the clock.

Speaking after the main event, Cage Warriors president Graham Boylan claimed that the victorious 5-1 middleweight may be approaching a title shot.

“The middleweight division is looking pretty slim…he could be knocking on the door,” said Boylan.

In the co-main event, Corey Tait picked up his first win since 2014 in his Cage Warriors return, stopping Northern Ireland’s Gavin Kelly with a stinging liver shot.

Tait showcased his dynamic kicking arsenal over the opening two minutes as the gritty Next Generation man marched him down. The final blow was delivered so quickly that even the cage-side broadcast team had to call for a replay to determine what finished the fight.

Former UFC fighter Mads Burnell underwent a baptism of fire in his Cage Warriors debut, meeting a crisp uppercut from four-time KSW campaigner Lukasz Rajewski in the opening 30 seconds of the contest. However, the Danish featherweight managed to regain his composure, score a takedown and finish the fight with a rear-naked choke just minutes after eating the big shot.

Nathan Jones got the better of fellow U.K. veteran Brad Wheeler in what was a spirited welterweight back and forth. “Mr. Bag and Tag” won the majority of the scrambles against the brown belt, securing the back on a number of occasions over the 15 minutes. After breaking a four-fight win streak, the Team Titan fighter called for a slot on Cage Warriors’ next London card.

To quote Cage Warriors commentator Brad Wharton, Jamie Richardson “painted the canvas red” with his first-round stoppage of Phill Wells to open the main card.

Richardson slashed his opponent with an elbow early, and despite Wells’ attempts to catch submissions as he attacked his legs, “Young Gun” landed damaging blows from top position, forcing Rich Mitchell to stop the contest with 20 seconds left on the clock in the first round.

On the preliminary card, French lightweight Mehdi Ben Lakdar announced his intentions to the division with a second striking showcase in as many outings under the banner, resulting in a first round finish of Craig Edwards.

Full results:

• James Webb def. Jason Radcliffe via TKO (strikes) at 1:26 of R1
• Corey Tait def. Gavin Kelly via KO (liver shot) at 2:40 of R1
• Mads Burnell def. Lukasz Rajewski via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:23 of R1
• Nathan Jones def. Brad Wheeler via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-27)
• Jamie Richardson def. Phill Wells via TKO (strikes) at 4:41 of R1
• Steve Aimable def. Josh Abraham via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-26, 30-26)
• Mehdi Ben Lakdar def. Craig Edwards via TKO (strikes) in R1