For DaMarques Johnson, the road to success was scribbled on a bar napkin.

While watching an Ultimate Combat Experience show, DaMarques spotted famed fighter Jeremy Horn in the crowd.

“I had always looked up to Jeremy,” he says, “It's like your average kid meeting Carlos Boozer.”

As the night wore on, DaMarques went back and forth on whether to ask for an autograph. He knew it was a rare opportunity, and yet he was afraid of what might happen.

“One, it's a guy you look up to; two, he can beat you up.”

He worked up the courage to approach the mixed martial arts legend and ask for his signature. Horn was willing, but DaMarques had to pick it up from Horn's new gym. When Horn drew a map to Elite Performance on a napkin, he had no idea the humble young guy was a fighter, let alone one who would become a close friend and training partner.

To hear anyone talk about DaMarques Johnson, you get the impression he's one phone call away from being the next big thing at 170 pounds – anyone, that is, except for DaMarques.

“I'm a lot harder on myself than anyone else,” the 26-year-old says.

When he talks about his abilities, his experiences or his goals, it is with equal parts humility and wonder at how far he's come. DaMarques may only be a few fights away from a major break in his career – and it wouldn’t be his first break.

He started jiu-jitsu in 2001 as a military intelligence analyst in the Army's Fort Bragg, N.C. His raw talent was apparent when his company trained in hand-to-hand combat, and some of his friends suggested he check out a local school for some training. The novice was deceptive.

“I had no car, there was nothing to do and I was so low on the totem pole rank-wise in the military that all I really did was watch fights,” he says.

DaMarques studied the fights, taking note of positions, submissions, escapes – all the little things that made one fighter successful and another a victim. With that knowledge, he ran through the gym, submitting students who had far more experience and making enemies before he had even really begun.

“They were kind of the old-school mentality. The new guy shouldn't just walk in off the street and start tapping out your students. That's a sign of disrespect.”

To put the rookie in his place, the instructor challenged DaMarques – and broke his arm.

“I was strangely bitter, but OK with it,” he says.

Rather than as a reason to stop training, DaMarques saw the broken arm as a challenge to improve. Family problems led him to leave the Army and move to Salt Lake City, where he would train for a short time at the Ultimate Combat Training Center before that fateful night he met Horn.

With Horn, DaMarques would sharpen his skills under the tutelage of one of the sport's most experienced practitioners, one who had seen action at every level of the fight game. Thanks to a strong work ethic, natural talent and an attitude that everyone has something to teach him, DaMarques has turned into one of Utah's best-kept secrets.

“DaMarques has exceptional striking ability and is a complete all-around fighter,” says Matt Pena, who was a boxing coach for the legendary Miletich system. He recently saw DaMarques first-hand when Horn brought several students to Illinois to train at Hughes Intensive Training, the newly opened camp of Matt Hughes. “He's one of the best in the nation that hasn't been to a big show. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him there real soon.”

For a month, DaMarques trained with the likes of Hughes, an incredible wrestler who dominated the UFC's welterweight division for years and will go down as one of the best welterweights of all time; Robbie Lawler, a brutal striker who is the EliteXC middleweight champ; and Pena, who has honed some of the best hands in the game. There he was sparring with some of the biggest names in the sport, fighters he had watched for years, and he was hanging in there. (He won't talk it up out of respect, but if you prod you'll find that DaMarques even caught Hughes with an armbar and a triangle choke.)

“A lot of people get their bubble burst in a negative sense,” DaMarques says. “But mine was a negative bubble. It was like, 'OK, dude, you don't suck.'”

By no means were Horn's guys there for a friendly spar. Hughes was training to fight up-and-coming UFC welterweight Thiago Alves, Lawler was prepping for the CBS debut of EliteXC and the always dangerous Scott Smith, and Horn had a UFC bout with ground master Dean Lister. For DaMarques, proof that he belonged among the top-level professionals came after the month of training was over.

“Horn pulled me aside and was like, 'It's coming. Be ready.'”

But first DaMarques will face a tough test in George Stork at Jeremy Horn's Elite Fight Night: Destruction.

“George is no joke. He's a tough guy, but DaMarques is just on fire right now,” Horn says. “He's incredibly talented. He's one of the best guys I've ever trained with. If he goes in there mentally prepared, which he has been lately, he's hell on wheels.”

Hell on wheels is riding a five-fight win streak. He may not be the most savvy business manager (“I’m not gonna lie. I’d fight a dude for a bucket of KFC,” he says), but lucky for him, Jennifer Howe, the Elite matchmaker, is looking out for his best interests. In fact, she says the fledgling fight promotion was started so guys like DaMarques could showcase their skills and earn a good payday doing it. It’s a good thing, too, because that means DaMarques can focus on training, which makes him happy. And a happy DaMarques is a dangerous DaMarques.

“I smile just sitting here thinking that I get to fight this Saturday. It makes me happy,” he says, as a grin fills his face. “Once you discover what you feel you've been put here to do ... who could be mad?”