LONDON – [autotag]Nathias Frederick[/autotag] produced a thrilling finale of flying fists and knees to stop [autotag]James Webb[/autotag] and capture the Cage Warriors middleweight title in their championship rematch at Cage Warriors 111 on Friday night.
The first meeting between the pair ended in a draw after Frederick fell foul of point deductions for an illegal spike on the champion, while Webb bemoaned the judging that saw him only scrape a draw, despite the scorecard sanctions handed to his opponent.
It meant a rematch was essential, and the pair met in a grueling encounter in the main event at Indigo at The O2 that looked set to go all the way to the judges’ scorecards once again. But Frederick had other ideas.
The Birmingham-based middleweight – a teammate of Leon and Fabian Edwards at Team Renegade – looked to find a home for his strikes early in each stanza, but found himself under intense pressure from Webb’s grinding wrestling-heavy approach as the champion looked to wear heavy on the challenger throughout the first three rounds.
But heading into the fourth frame, Webb’s gas tank started to run dry, and Frederick took full advantage. And, after being shoved against the fence for long spells, Frederick came to life and unleashed a blistering volley of strikes that overwhelmed Webb, who covered up against the cage.
With Frederick ceaselessly unloading heavy-handed punches and punishing knees, referee Rich Mitchell stepped in to call a stop to the fight with just one second remaining in the penultimate round.
What a fight! What a performance from Nathias Frederick! 👏
He stops the his opponent at the end of the 4th round to become the NEW Cage Warriors Middleweight Champion 🏆☝️#CW111 #AndNew pic.twitter.com/JDuVr6JlZe— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) November 22, 2019
Bukauskas calls for UFC chance after powerful TKO finish
In the night’s co-main event, light heavyweight champion [autotag]Modestas Bukauskas[/autotag] scored a decisive stoppage victory to complete his first title defense, then revealed that he had recovered from a pre-fight scare after dislocating his left knee just three weeks before the fight.
Lithuanian-born, England-based Bukauskas finished [autotag]Riccardo Nosiglia[/autotag] inside a round with a salvo of powerful elbows to cement his position as the organization’s premier 205-pounder, then called on Dana White and the UFC matchmakers Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard to give him a chance at the big time.
Welcome to elbow city 💪
Modestas Bukauskas successfully defends his title at #CW111 in devastating fashion! 😳👏#AndStill pic.twitter.com/UCUS7BDGwQ— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) November 22, 2019
“I’m ready for the UFC!” he declared. “Please give me my shot! Please give me the chance to show I’m ready for the world stage!”
Burnell boxes clever to claim dominant decision win
Cage Warriors featherweight champion [autotag]Mads Burnell[/autotag] is well known for his submission skills, but in his main card non-title matchup with [autotag]Steve Aimable[/autotag] he showcased his educated hands in an impressive display of his boxing skills.
The champ @Burnellmma puts the pressure on early, but Aimable hangs tough! #CW111 pic.twitter.com/abnlJBmfOh
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) November 22, 2019
After a dominant round of striking from the Dane, Aimable came storming back at the start of Round 2 with some solid shots of his own, and a big uppercut briefly appeared to stun the reigning 145-pound champ. But Burnell came firing back with well-placed shots as he ripped Aimable to the head and body with strong, accurate punches.
Eventually, Aimable was forced to switch tactics, but his attempted pick-up and slam ended up with Burnell threatening with his go-to submission – the Japanese necktie – before eventually finishing the round in top position, landing strikes.
Burnell continued to outbox Aimable through Round 3, using his superior accuracy and smart head movement to land cleanly while avoiding Aimable’s best shots. Then, with two minutes remaining, the Dane took the fight to the mat once again and maintained top position to see out the remaining seconds of the fight, and a landslide victory on the scorecards with scores of 30-26 across the board.
Santos stuns Lohore in war of welterweight contenders
In the main card opener, Germany-based Brazilian [autotag]Joilton Santos Lutterbach[/autotag] scored a quickfire finish as he stopped former BAMMA champion [autotag]Alex Lohore[/autotag] in just 27 seconds before taunting his still-stunned opponent in celebration.
WOW 😲 what a statement!
Joilton Santos Lutterbach wasted no time at #CW111 pic.twitter.com/WfUtmuTY3c— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) November 22, 2019
Santos landed a left-hook, right-kick combination twice in a row before stunning Lohore with a third left hook that sent him to the canvas, where he followed up with a vicious salvo of ground strikes to seal the victory.
And, after such a clinical finish, the Brazilian may well find himself right at the front of the queue to face the reigning Cage Warriors 170-pound champion, Scotland’s Ross Houston.
Cage Warriors 111 main card results:
- Nathias Frederick def. James Webb via TKO (punches and knees) – Round 4, 4:59
- Modestas Bukauskas def. Riccardo Nosiglia via TKO (elbows) – Round 1, 3:31
- Mads Burnell def. Steve Aimable via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
- Joilton Santos Lutterbach def. Alex Lohore via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:30
