Former Cage Warriors middleweight champion captured a second world title in a different weight class as he stopped Andy Clamp to win the Cage Warriors light heavyweight title at Cage Warriors 180.
The event, which took place at the Indigo at The O2 in London, saw former 185-pound champ Webb kick off a remarkable career renaissance after losing his middleweight title in 2019 and falling short in his bid to recapture the gold.
Webb won the middleweight title with a submission finish of Thomas Robertsen back at Cage Warriors 102 in 2019, and held on to his title after his first title defence against Nathias Frederick went to a majority draw at Cage Warriors 106.
A rematch was immediately booked, and Webb was dethroned by Frederick, who stopped him in the fourth round to capture the title.
Webb looked to bounce back, but defeats to Matthew Bonner and Leon Aliu saw his momentum hit the buffers, but a win over Paddy McCorry earned him a second shot at the gold. Unfortunately for Webb, that shot ended in heartbreak as, after badly rocking Mick Stanton early, he was stopped late in the opening round as his middleweight title dreams were dashed yet again at Cage Warriors 157 in London.
Webb went back to the drawing board, packed on more muscle and returned as a light heavyweight. His unanimous decision win over Adam Bieganski showed that he was ready for another run at a title, and he was booked to face newly-crowned champion Clamp this past Saturday.
HISTORY HAS BEEN MADE!⁰⁰🏆🏆 James Webb is now a two-division champion #AndNew Cage Warriors Light-Heavyweight Champion.
After a gruelling back and forth war with his opponent, he turned the tide in the third round to get the TKO finish 👏#CW180 pic.twitter.com/wWg9vyyp8T
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) November 15, 2024
And, in a fight that saw both men dig deep as the fight went into the trenches, it was Webb who had the staying power as he wore down “Clamp The Champ” before eventually finishing him with ground and pound late in the third round.
It meant that Webb completed a remarkable career comeback as he joined an elite group of fighters who have captured Cage Warriors world titles in two different weight classes.
OFFICIAL TWO WEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION 🙌 🏆
James Webb gives his thoughts on a historic night at #CW180 London. pic.twitter.com/j9na1pPq3B
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) November 16, 2024
“It’s full-circle,” he told Cage Warriors’ social media cameras backstage after his win.
“It’s been a f*****g journey, a f*****g struggle. Many years struggle.
“Here I am. Two-weight world champion. No one can take that away from me. No one takes that away from me.”
Elsewhere on the card, Nik Bagley finished Jordy Bakkes via first-round rear-naked choke in the co-main event, while Paddy McCorry knocked out Tye Palmer with a cracker of a right hook to claim a 46-second finish.
There was also an impressive win for Weslley Maia, as the Great Britain Top Team bantamweight submitted hard-hitting Alexander Loof in the first round to set up a potential trilogy fight with old rival and PrizeFighter champion Shirzad Qadrian.
There was also a shock result, as debuting Giovanni Fernandez claimed a stunning come-from-behind submission win over rising star Jimmy Quinn in their bantamweight matchup.
Cage Warriors 180: Official results
MAIN CARD
- James Webb def. Andrew Clamp via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 4:51 – for light heavyweight title
- Nik Bagley def. Jordy Bakkes via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:16
- Paddy McCorry def. Tye Palmer via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 0:46
- Weslley Maia def. Alexander Loof via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:19
- Giovanni Fernandez def. Jimmy Quinn via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:31
- Yusuf Nazokatov def. Cameron Stewart via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Tariq Pell def. Danny Blundell via knockout (body kick) – Round 1, 3:57
- Jawany Scott def. Davide Scarano via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-27)
- Richard Kallos def. Tommy Brunning via verbal submission (armbar) – Round 1, 1:25
- Joshua Onwordi def. Joe Ambler via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Callum Haughian defeated Marko Sarasjarvi via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 0:34
