Canadian Elias Theodorou, a former fighter in the UFC, has died at the age of 34. Let’s see what happened to him and Elias Theodorou cause of death in detail
How did Elias Theodorou die?
Elias Theodorou, a former UFC competitor and “TUF Nations” champion, has passed away. Theodorou lost his battle with cancer on Sunday. Sources who knew Theodorou confirmed the news to MMA Junkie after various reports of his death surfaced online.
Theodorou hadn’t publicly revealed his illness before his death. Aaron Bronsteter, a reporter for TSN, reported that Theodorou had been identified as having stage 4 liver cancer. Elias Theodorou cause of death was revelaed as stomach cancer.
From 2014-2019, Ontario’s Theodorou contested 11 times in the UFC. His career in the international spotlight kickstarted when he won “TUF Nations” with a knockout of Sheldon Westcott. He went on to defeat names like Cezar Ferreira, Sam Alvey, Eryk Anders, and Trevor Smith. His only three promotional failures came against perennial contenders Thiago Santos, Brad Tavares, and Derek Brunson.
Elias Theodorou cause of death
Representatives of Theodorou confirmed the news to TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter on Sunday night.
Elias Theodorou, a gregarious and charming man who fulfilled a lifetime ambition by joining the UFC, died on Sunday at the age of 34 from stage 4 liver cancer. Therefore prolonged illness from liver cancer was Elias Theodorou cause of death.
Theodorou had only disclosed his diagnosis to a select group of close pals, according to TSN reporter Aaron Bronsteter, who made this observation on social media.
Sadly, a representative of Elias Theodorou has confirmed earlier reports that he has passed away at age 34.
Theodorou was privately battling Stage 4 liver cancer and had only told a select group of people of his diagnosis.
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) September 12, 2022
Who is Elias Michael Theodorou?
Elias Michael Theodorou, a Canadian mixed martial artist of Greek ancestry, lived from May 31, 1988, to September 11, 2022.
He won The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia while competing for the UFC in the Middleweight category, where he was ranked 13th at the time of his departure. In January 2020, he became the first professional athlete in North America to be granted a cannabis therapeutic use exemption.
Early life
Greek-born Theodorou was reared in Mississauga, Ontario, and went to Meadowvale Secondary School. He attended Humber College to obtain a B.A. in Creative Advertising, but after his first year there, Theodorou decided to enroll in MMA lessons as a form of exercise before deciding to make MMA his career. By way of the British Columbia Athletic Commission, Theodorou became the first MMA fighter and professional athlete in history to be granted a sanctioned exemption for using medical cannabis in competition (TUE) on February 19, 2020.
Supreme Fighter
Theodorou would represent Canada at Middleweight in The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia, it was revealed in December 2013. In the quarterfinals, he defeated Zein Saliba, and in the semifinals, Tyler Manawaroa. Following the semifinals, he traveled to Phuket Province in Thailand to train at Tiger Muay Thai under the direction of coach Patrick Côté.
Fighting Championship
Theodorou won the Middleweight division at The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale by technical knockout in the second round over MFC veteran Sheldon Westcott.
On October 4, 2014, Theodorou and Bruno Santos squared off at UFC Fight Night 54. He was declared the winner by a unanimous vote. On March 14, 2015, Roger Narvaez and Theodorou squared off at UFC 185.
Following a first round in which Narvaez appeared to be in control, Narvaez attempted to block a kick from Theodorou in the second round and broke his arm. Shortly after, Theodorou was able to stop the fight via TKO with a barrage of blows.
On December 10, 2015, Thiago Santos and Theodorou squared off at UFC Fight Night 80. He was defeated by a unanimous decision in the fight. At UFC Fight Night 89 on June 18, 2016, Theodorou took on Sam Alvey. Both fighters were unable to muster much offensive, thus the battle was relatively uneventful and stayed on the feet for almost the whole time. He prevailed by unanimous judgment in the match. On February 19, 2017, Theodorou fought Cezar Ferreira at UFC Fight Night 105. He prevailed via contentious unanimous decision.
Elias victory
At The Ultimate Fighter 25 Finale on July 7, 2017, Theodorou fought Brad Tavares. He was defeated in the fight by a consensus vote. On November 19, 2017, Theodorou and Dan Kelly squared off at UFC Fight Night 121. He obtained a unanimous victory.
At UFC Fight Night 130 on May 27, 2018, Theodorou fought Trevor Smith. He prevailed by unanimous judgment in the match.
Theodorou was scheduled to compete against Antônio Carlos Junior at UFC Fight Night 137 on September 22, 2018. Nevertheless, Junior withdrew on August 28 owing to an injury.
It was anticipated that the two will compete as originally planned on December 8 at UFC 231. On September 13, 2018, it was revealed that Junior has once again been forced to pull out of his fight with Theodorou due to the need for surgery on the injury that had forced him to postpone their initial meeting. Junior was reportedly replaced by Eryk Anders on October 1st, 2018.
The bout was decided by a fiercely contested split decision in favor of Theodorou. On May 4, 2019, Derek Brunson and Theodorou squared off at UFC Fight Night 151. He was defeated in the fight by a consensus vote. Theodorou was reportedly let go by the UFC on May 26, 2019.
Post-UFC career of Theodorou
In the first bout after the UFC release, Theodorou fought Hernani Perpetuo at Prospect Fighting Championships 12 on December 6, 2019. He won the fight in the third round via TKO.
Theodorou faced fellow UFC veteran Matt Dwyer at rising FC 6 on March 13, 2021. He won the fight via third-round technical knockout. Theodorou faced Bryan Baker on December 18, 2021, at Colorado Combat Club 10. He won the bout via unanimous decision.
Theodorou passed away on September 11, 2022.
Other than his career
On the third season of The Amazing Race Canada, Theodorou and his ex-girlfriend, Max Altamuro, a shop manager who lives and works in Toronto, took part in a race. They finished 12th and were the first team to be disqualified in their current hometown of Toronto. He also works as a “ring boy” for the Invicta Fighting Championships, an all-female MMA organization.
Theodorou will play an MMA fighter who is forced to retire but later switches to e-sports in the upcoming movie Last Hit.
Elias Theodorou was a fervent advocate for medical marijuana and became the first professional athlete in North America to be authorized to use cannabis while competing after receiving a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) from the British Columbia Athletic Commission in January 2020.
He obtained a second such exemption from the Colorado Combative Sports Commission in May 2021, making him the country’s first professional athlete to be granted a TUE.
Theodorou utilized cannabis to alleviate the pain and discomfort from bilateral neuropathy, a nerve disorder brought on by an accident that left his hand fractured in four places and broken in two.
Accomplishments of Elias Theodorou
Extreme Cage Combat
- ECC Middleweight Championship (One time)
North American Allied Fight Series
- NAAFS Middleweight Championship (One time)
Ultimate Fighting Championship
- The Ultimate Fighter Nations Middleweight Tournament Winner
Tributes paid to MMA fighter Elias Theodorou
Mathew tweeted,
Terrible news. Great fighter, and always seemed like a really good dude too.
Javid tweeted,
This is so sad , I met him at Xtreme Couture and he was such a nice guy I had no idea he had cancer
Former #UFC fighter Elias Theodorou dead at 34; MMA community mourns
A member of the @InvictaFights family has sadly passed from his battle with cancer. Our sincere condolences to his friends and family. Elias was truly a kind, humble and charismatic personality who will be missed greatly by all. #RingBoy pic.twitter.com/20nkgnLZgU
— Invicta FC (@InvictaFights) September 12, 2022
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Lavanya (Senior Editor) is a full-time content writer with almost 5 years of experience and a part-time teacher. She joined Medico Topics on the Breaking News trainee scheme in 2022 and now works on MedicoTopics.com. As a lifelong learner, She is constantly curious about learning new things and passionate about sharing knowledge with people through her writing and teaching.