Elias Theodorou was a Canadian middleweight mixed martial artist. He became famous for being the first professional athlete to receive an exemption for the therapeutic use of medical cannabis by the British Columbia Athlete Commission.
The MMA fighter won the Ultimate Fighter Nations Tournament in 2014. Sadly, he died on September 11, 2022, after battling stage 4 kidney cancer.
Fascinating Facts About Late MMA Fighter, Elias Theodorou
1. Theodorou is Originally From Greece
Although Elias Micheal Theodorou was a Canadian mixed martial artist, his family is originally from Greece. That said, he was born on May 31, 1988, in Mississauga, Ontario.
On several occasions, Elias has bragged about his Greek Ancestry and jokingly calls himself Spartan.
2. He Developed a Love for Martial Arts in His First Year in College
Elias Theodorou attended Humber College. There, he fell in love with martial arts and took MMA classes as a workout routine in his second year in college.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Creative Advertising.
3. Theodorou Began his Career in 2011
After deciding to go into MMA professionally, he moved to Montreal, where he trained full-time at the Tristar Gym. There he met a lot of UFC fighters. He decided that for him to be successful as a fighter, he had to be around other UFC fighters, so he saved 17 hours a week reading books and recovering, to be able to grow as a fighter.
4. The Martial Artist Competed in the UFC 11 Times
He signed with the UFC in 2014. During his career, he fought a total of 11 bouts of which he won 8 and lost 3. In May 2019, Elias was dropped from the UFC.
In his 5-year-long career in the UFC, Elias defeated names like Cezar Ferreira, Sam Alvey, Eryk Anders, and Trevor Smith. However, he lost to Thiago Santo, Brad Tavares, and Derek Brunson.
5. He won the Ultimate Fighter Nations Tournament
In 2014, right before his 25th birthday, Elias won the Ultimate Fighter tournament. Next, he was cast on The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia, where he represented Canada in the middleweight category.
The Spartan won the title, after defeating Sheldon Wescott by the second-round TKO, to win the middleweight category.
6. He was Featured in The Amazing Race Canada in 2015
Theodorou and his Ex-girlfriend, Max Altgamuro, competed in the 3rd season of the Amazing Race in 2015. The show is a reality program that features twelve teams of two in a race across Canada. It is a sequel to the American version of the same show.
The UFC fighter and his teammate, came 12th in their home city of Toronto. They were the first team to be eliminated.
7. Elias Theodorou was the first ever Ring Boy for Invicta FC
The middleweight MMA Fighter made his ring-boy debut for Invicta FC 28 in 2018. He proudly worked alongside the traditional ring girls during the game.
Initially, the Invicta FC president had doubts about the ring boy concept until Elias arrived with his contagious enthusiasm and positive outlook on how he could knock down some antiquated perceptions about gender.
8. The Spartan was the First Professional Athlete to receive an Exemption for Medical Cannabis
Elias Theodorou was diagnosed with a condition known as Bilateral Neuropathy, an injury to the nerves which results in numbness, tingling, muscle weakness, and pain in the affected area.
Theodorou said his hands are where the issue is and a lot of his fighting style was affected by it. However, he got his breakthrough after receiving an exemption for therapeutic use exemption for medical cannabis, which was granted to him by the British Columbia Athlete Commission in 2020.
The 34-year-old has always been an advocate for the use of cannabis as a medical treatment, ever since it helped him deal with his neuropathy pain and calm his nerves.
He is part of a community on Instagram known as Leafythings, it is a platform founded in 2019, that empowers people who believe in the value of cannabis-based products and services. It is available only in Ontario, Canada.
9. The 34-year-old Fighter was cast in “Last Hit”
Elias was cast in a movie, “Last Hit,” which is a movie about an MMA fighter who was paralyzed after a near-death fatal kick. He then takes up fighting games in order to reclaim his dignity. The paralyzed MMA figure is later forced to defeat a toxic pro video gamer at the largest game tournament in the world.
Elias got to play the lead role of the Paralyzed fighter.
See Also: Marciano Cantero’s Wife And Kids, Cause Of Death
10. Elias Theodorou Died of Kidney Cancer in 2022
On September 11, 2022, at the age of 34, Theodorou died after a battle with liver cancer.
He kept details of his terminal illness away from the public. However, it was speculated that he battled with stage four liver cancer for a few months before his death.
According to the Canadian Cancer Society, it is estimated that 5,400 men will be diagnosed with kidney and renal pelvis cancer. Among those diagnosed, 1,300 will die from it. Unfortunately, Elias Theodorou is part of the latter. Other famous people who have died from different types of cancer include Ron O’neal, Duranice Pace, and Nancy Griffith.
