UFC in shock as fighter dies aged 34

Figures within the MMA community have paid tribute to Elias Theodorou after the former UFC star passed away from liver cancer Read Full Article at RT.com

Sep 12, 2022 - 11:00

Canadian fighter Elias Theodorou passed away after a battle with liver cancer

The mixed martial arts world is in mourning after the passing was announced of former UFC fighter Elias Theodorou, who has died following a battle with liver cancer. He was 34.

The news of his death has been confirmed by several sources after reports first appeared on social media in recent hours. It is understood that Theodorou had been suffering from stage four liver cancer.

Theodorou was a former winner of the UFC's popular reality series 'The Ultimate Fighter' and fought 11 times for the organization between 2014 and 2019, winning eights fights and losing just three.

The Ontario, Canada native scored wins against the likes of Eryk Anders, Cezar Ferreira and Sam Alvey during his UFC stint and only lost to upper echelon competition such as Thiago Santos, Brad Tavares and Derek Brunson.

He was released from the UFC following a May 2019 loss to Brunson after which UFC president Dana White stated that he didn't believe that Theodorou would ever break the top-five rankings at middleweight.

Theodorou responded by knocking out his next two opponents.

He posted an overall record of 19-3 and was never knocked out or submitted in his fight career. His most recent fight took place last December where he defeated former Bellator standout Bryan Baker by unanimous decision in what proved to be his final career bout.

Theodorou was also noted for being a vocal advocate of the use of medicinal cannabis and in January 2020 he became the first fighter to be issued with a TUE (therapeutic use exemption) which was granted to him by the British Columbia Athletic Commission.