Damacio Page’s violent overhand right “heard ’round the world” is this year’s MMA “Knockout of the Year”
This past October, Legacy FC came to New Mexico for the second time and brought with them the intrigue of two title fights. The show on paper was stacked with exciting match-ups and from the very start, Legacy FC 36 delivered excitement to the fans in attendance. One of the curtain jerking amateur bouts provided this year’s “Submission of the Year” and the event just might provide one or two more end-of-year awards before it is all said and done.
Photo Credit: Ruby Santos / SWFight
Jackson’s MMA standout Flyweight Damacio Page (19-9) has fought some of the very best MMA has to offer during his stints in the UFC and WEC. While on the comeback trail through the regional circuit, “The Angel of Death” found himself standing across the cage from a regional standout from Tennessee, Brian Hall (7-3). Hall was a late replacement and on paper it looked as if he was extremely outmatched against the heavy hitting Page who had found tremendous success since dropping down from Bantamweight.
But Hall didn’t get the memo of his underdog status.
The fight started and Hall came out guns blazing rocking, stunning and dropping Page twice within the first moments of the fight. Hall’s blitzing wasn’t well received by Page and immediately turned the knockout artist back into a wrestling savant as Page would start looking for a takedown. Just when fans in attendance began biting on their fingernails in fear of a loss to one our locals, Page shook off any stars he had been seeing and found his rhythm.
A simple double jab forced Hall into a costly error, as the Memphis fighter would move straight backwards with his chin untucked. Page would stalk the back pedaling Hall and follow up his double jab with a vicious overhand right that circled all the way from his hip. The knockout strike came unbelievably fast and Hall never saw it coming; the punch rendered Hall unconscious and would award Page with the Legacy FC Flyweight Title.
Jorge Commentary: My first reaction was concern for Brian Hall.
I’ll never forget the groan of the crowd and then the frenzied that followed. The right hand that Damacio Page landed I feel would have knocked out most heavyweights so to see a flyweight land such a blow was both painful and a treat to watch.
The knockout was one of the two most vicious I’ve ever seen in person (the other would be Ed West’s headkick that put Santa Fe fighter Josh Montoya out at Bellator the year before).
Clips of Page’s KO spread like wildfire that night and we all thought that because the flyweight division in the UFC is so thin that a call would soon come. Page’s move back to the UFC has yet to happen. Yes, he struggled at bantamweight there but now at flyweight Page is a monster who I feel with his power would be able to successfully compete with the top talent at 125lbs in any promotion.
Phillip Commentary: I was a spectator for this event and had real good seats to watch the exciting fight card. By the time the co-main event came about the drinkers in attendance had already had their fair share of alcohol and when the punch landed and Hall’s head bounced on the canvas the entire crowd immediately sobered up. That isn’t completely a joke, truthfully the Legend’s Theater went quiet for a moment after the initial screams for Page’s win. It was the hardest strike I have ever witnessed in person and comes in after but a few MMA knockouts in history.
I knew Damacio hit hard and didn’t doubt the knockout possibility before the fight but the violence in which Page’s strike rendered Hall unconscious was scary stuff. It was as perfect in terms of accuracy as a fighter could ever hope an overhand could land. The video went viral for the world to watch Page throw his entire body into the knockout inducing blow and I am pretty sure an argument can be made that Page is the hardest hitting 125er in the entire sport (second maybe to teammate John Dodson).
His KO should be everyone’s “Knockout of the Year” because only a few moments happen every year that make jaws drop like this one.
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