Leon Aliu Annihilates James Webb at CW 138

A game of inches. Congratulations LeonAliu.#CW138 pic.twitter.com/BJR4NadibH

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) May 28, 2022

The crowd at Charter Hall in Colchester, England, went silent after the hometown hero lost in Saturday’s Cage Warriors Fighting Championship headliner.

It took a little over a minute for Leon Aliu to knock out James Webb in the CW 138 headliner. Brave Combat Federation vet Aliu (10-1, 1-0 CW) thumped former 185-pound titleholder Webb with punches and heavy kicks out of the gate. Aliu targeted his adversary’s lead leg, forcing Webb (8-4-1, 7-4-1 CW) to change stance. From time to time, Aliu would aim at his opponent’s body, but it was all part of his strategy to make the Englishman lower his guard to defend himself. The gameplan paid dividends shortly after the one-minute mark. After scoring with a couple of kicks, Aliu fired a thermonuclear missile of a right that demolished Webb on the spot. The Iron Team Reggio Emilia standout finished the job with a pair of unnecessary follow-up punches before referee Marc Goddard mercifully called the end of the fight. The official time indicated the 1:42 mark of Round 1.

LukeShanks is must watch TV
What a round! Showcasing all of his skills, he picks up the submission win

Watch #CW138 live on @UFCFightPass pic.twitter.com/dyK1U62Ay4

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) May 28, 2022

In the co-main event, former 125-pound titleholder Luke Shanks moved up a division to take on Josh Reed. Shanks (10-3, 5-2 CW) looked sharper than his opponent on the feet, stinging Reed with quick combinations from afar. In response, Reed (12-7, 8-7 CW) jumped on his foe for an improbable guillotine attack, ending with his back on the canvas within seconds. On the mat, Shanks used effective offense to pass guard and eventually claim the back of the “Crazy Horse.” In the scramble that followed, Shanks attacked with a kimura, only to lose position. Reed made the most out of it by bouncing back on the feet and going after a bulldog choke. Shanks kept his calm demeanor, where he escaped the submission attempt and retaliated with a rear-naked choke of his own. While “The Apocalypse” only managed to squeeze with one arm, Reed was forced to tap at the 3:41 mark of the opening stanza.

After missing to hit the featherweight division’s limit by .6 pounds, Tom Mearns (9-7, 3-5 CW) outpointed Orlando Wilson Prins (2-1, 0-1 CW) on all three scorecards in their 147-pound catchweight affair (29-28, 29-28, 29-28); 170-pounder Oban Elliott (5-2, 5-2 CW) induced a tap from Herkus Lukosiunas (2-1, 0-1 CW) due to rear-naked choke 2:37 into the opening period; the featherweight matchup between George Tanasa (2-2-1, 0-0-1 CW) and Scott Pedersen (1-3-1, 1-2-1 CW) ended in a technical unanimous draw after referee Rich Mitchell took two points from Tanasa due to an illegal knee that forced the fight to a judges’ decision midway through Round 3.