Page Well Aware of Johnson’s Speed in WEC Return

To be returning from major shoulder surgery and a 13-month layoff, Damacio Page isn’t exactly getting a tune-up fight.

Page will battle quality prospect Demetrious Johnson in a 135-pound bout Thursday at WEC 52. Johnson, who replaces an injured Eddie Wineland, might be better suited for 125 pounds, but his speed is perhaps even more daunting in the heavier division.

“With Eddie Wineland, I knew I could match speed for speed with him, but Demetrious Johnson, he’s a fast guy,” Page said Friday during a “Savage Dog Show” interview on the Sherdog Radio Network. “I’m going to have to outsmart him and use my speed when I can to catch him. … I don’t want to be chasing him around the cage the whole night.”

Page expects to have a size advantage. But again, he doesn’t think it will help him unless he can neutralize Johnson’s speed.

“I think I am going to be a lot bigger than him,” Page said, “but for me to use my size, I’ve gotta catch him.”

That doesn’t mean Page will necessarily focus on grounding the fight, though. Johnson proved vulnerable to repeated takedowns in his WEC debut against Brad Pickett, but Page will feel him out first.

“However I feel at the beginning of the fight, that’s how I’m gonna take it,” Page said. “If I feel comfortable on my feet, I’m gonna stay on my feet and you can plan on fireworks. I’m gonna hit him, too, hard if it’s standing up. But you know what? If he’s too fast for me, then I take him down.”

Despite the takedowns he gave up against Pickett, Johnson proved capable of getting back to his feet. He can scramble, strike and score takedowns of his own. If Page gets too aggressive, Johnson could look to take him down. However, Page’s trainer, Greg Jackson, isn’t worried that Page will end up on his back.

“I don’t think so because he is a phenomenal wrestler,” Jackson said. “He’s great at defending wrestling takedowns. He’s also great at doing the offensive stuff. I think that [Page’s aggression] is going to be a factor, but even if he gets taken down, his guard is one of his best positions as well, so I’m not too worried about that.”

Jackson is more worried about ring rust. His fighter spent eight weeks in a shoulder sling and 13 months out of the cage.

“Yeah, that’s always a big concern with me, is the ring rust and the timing and all that stuff,” Jackson said. “I’m trying to make sure that we do everything we can do to get that ring rust kind of out of the way, but it will be an interesting first fight back to see what happens. [Johnson] is very, very fast. … We also had an opponent change, which on top of the ring rust gives us more challenges. Damacio’s one of those guys, though. He really rises to the challenge. We’ll see if he’s able to rise to this one. There’s a lot of good obstacles, and I think he’s got what it takes to overcome them.”

Page acknowledged that he has some worries about sitting out for so long as well. They don’t seem to match his eagerness to get back in the cage, though.

“I’m bigger, I’m stronger, I’m faster than I’ve ever been,” he said. “I feel actually pretty comfortable coming into this fight.”

Listen to the full interview (beginning at 1:26:45) with Page, who also discussed his request for a rematch against Brian Bowles, ice baths and who will be winning the bonuses after the WEC merges with the UFC.