James Webb dismisses confusion surrounding Cage Warriors 99 finish: ‘It was a great shot’

James Webb scored a first-round win over Jason Radcliffe in Saturday’s Cage Warriors 99 main event, and the SBG Swords fighter has dismissed the calls of controversy that emerged on the back of his victory.

Webb landed a left hook just before the 90-second mark and Radcliffe crumbled to the ground seconds later. Due to his delayed reaction, some online commenters believe that something else was at play that led to Radcliffe’s knockdown other than the hometown fighter’s left hand.

As far as newly confirmed middleweight contender Webb is concerned, it was nothing other than a “great shot” that led to Radcliffe’s downfall.

“I knew it was the left hook,” said Webb in an appearance on the latest episode of Eurobash.

“Someone said to me after, ‘You hit him on the back of the head’, and I was thinking, ‘How did I hit someone in the back of the head if they’re standing in front of me?’ I was trying to punch him in the head and I did. As far as I’m concerned it was a great shot.”

Webb admitted that some social media posts that called his finish into question annoyed him.

“I got well annoyed yesterday morning, I woke and saw someone had tagged me on Facebook with their take on the whole night,” he explained. “It was something about a controversial finish with James Webb and Jason Radcliffe and that it was an eye poke or something. Bradley Wharton [Cage Warriors commentator] commented [on the post] and he said there was no eye poke, so that was it — full stop. I know Brad, but I don’t know him [as a close friend], so that was nice to see.”

Webb takes solace in the fact that those who were at the fight so no issue with the finish.

“It was nice to see that the people that were there were like, ‘No, it wasn’t [controversial]’. For some reason, I celebrated and then suddenly when we were in the middle of the cage I said to Chris [Fields], ‘Am I getting DQ’d?’ And he said, ‘No, mate, don’t be crazy!’ Then I can remember referee Rich Mitchell saying, ‘No, that didn’t happen’.”

Known predominantly as a jiu-jitsu player when he first transitioned to MMA, the Colchester native was happy to showcase another side of his game with the knockdown.

“I thought I would be able to put it into words but I still can’t, it’s still very surreal. I do have confidence in my hands, I guess that gets overlooked a little bit. I’m happy it gets overlooked, to be honest. I am a grappler, and I think I’m a good one at that, but it’s nice to show a different side of me. It just makes me harder to beat,” he said.

Graham Boylan’s claims that Webb could be looking at a title shot in his next outing and the U.K. middleweight claimed that he would be happy to take on whoever Cage Warriors have planned for him.

“I don’t mind. I’m really happy fighting for Cage Warriors and I’m just happy for them to give what I get and I listen to what Chris says. I’m not gonna push for things I shouldn’t get or don’t deserve. I’m just going to see what happens and listen to what everyone thinks around me,” Webb said.