Former Canadian middleweight mixed martial artist and UFC fighter Elias Theodorou has reportedly died from liver cancer complications at age 34 late Sunday night.
The former fighter had been diagnosed with stage four liver cancer, but kept his condition private. The cause of Theodorou's death was revealed by The Sports Network (TSN) journalist Aaron Bronsteter after receiving confirmation from one of Theodorou's representatives.
"Sadly, a representative of Elias Theodorou has confirmed earlier reports that he has passed away at age 34," Bronsteter reported in a Tweet. "Theodorou was privately battling Stage 4 liver cancer and had only told a select group of people of his diagnosis." 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
Theodorou had secured his contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) after winning The Ultimate Fighter in 2014 where he continued on to fight in the UFC for five years until his departure in 2019. Theodorou's final fight with the UFC was against fellow UFC fighter Derek Brunson during UFC Fight Night 151 which resulted in Theodorou's loss by unanimous decision after three rounds. His loss led to his release from the UFC with a 8-3 record.
Brunson reacted to his former competitor's death on Twitter saying, "Was a pleasure sharing the octagon with you . Elias Theodorou was 8-2 in the UFC & left the UFC due to standing up for what he believed in . He was 19-3 as a martial artist and from all accounts was a great person . RIP my brother, a true Canadian 🇨🇦 pioneer ! 🙏🏾" Was a pleasure sharing the octagon with you . Elias Theodorou was 8-2 in the UFC & left the UFC due to standing up for what he believed in . He was 19-3 as a martial artist and from all accounts was a great person . RIP my brother, a true Canadian 🇨🇦 pioneer ! 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/SOC7nOxJJ1
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) September 12, 2022
After his time with the UFC, Theodorou went on to fight in the Prospect Fighting Championships (PFC). He secured a win in round 3 at 1:51 in his first fight with the PFC took place in late December 2019 against fellow UFC alumni Hernani Perpetuo. His most recent and final fight was against Bryan Baker in December 2021. Theodorou won the fight by unanimous decision which left his professional fighting career with a final record of 19-3.
In early 2020 Theodorou reportedly became the first fighter to receive a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) for medical cannabis by the British Columbia Athletic Commission, according to MMAFighting.com.
