Damacio Page vs. Demetrious Johnson

Undersized bantamweight dynamo Demetrius Johnson won the battle of conditioning against Damacio Page to score a come-from-behind upset victory in one of WEC 52's best fights.

Round one was a high-paced affair with little feeling out period. Both men landed solid strikes, but it was Page's control of the clinch that won him the round. Page landed two picture-perfect Judo throws on Johnson and a third big takedown via slam late in the round. Each of the takedowns landed him in side control, but Johnson gamely scooted back up before receiving much damage.

Both men looked fresh to start the second despite continuing to work at a very high clip. The turning point came halfway through the second, after Page received an inadvertent illegal groin shot that halted the action for a few minutes. When the fighting resumed Page had lost a step and was no longer bouncing on his feet. A fresher Johnson got two big takedowns of his own following the halt in the action to take the round.

Johnson sealed the deal in round three against a game but clearly slower Page, downing him in the first thirty seconds and doing some damage from the top. Page's fight-ending mistake came from a combination of fatigue and frustration as he tried to recklessly stand up out of a turtle position, giving up his neck in the process. Johnson locked on a Guillotine Choke and sunk it in beautifully, first reversing the position into a mounted Guillotine and then bearing down to force the tap from an exhausted Page.

For Demetrius, it was a major win over a name opponent, and could not have come at a better time in light of the WEC's impending merger with the UFC. Johnson later told MMAWeekly that if and when the UFC opens up a 125 (flyweight) division he would be sure to drop down, but until that day came he would continue to use his speed advantages to try to climb the 135 pound ladder.