Elias Theodorou, a renowned MMA fighter who appeared in the UFC and was a former TUF winner, passed away on Sunday. Read on to know how did Elias Theodorou die and what was the cause of his death.
Theodorou appeared in the squared circle for the last time in December 2021. He defeated Bryan Baker by unanimous decision in the bout at Colorado Combat Club 10.
How did Elias Theodorou die?
Former UFC fighter Elias Theodorou died on Sunday, September 11, 2024. He was 34 at the time of his death. Theodorou was battling stage 4 liver cancer and kept his diagnosis private. He continued to appear in fights as only a few people knew about his illness.
Theodore last had a fight on December 18, 2021. He never made his battle with liver cancer public. He was also known as an advocate for marijuana’s medical use in combat sports.
Elias Theodorou dead at 34: What was the cause of his death?
Elias Theodorou died battling liver cancer. He had stage 4 hepatocellular carcinoma which is the most common type of liver cancer. It’s unknown when Theodorou was diagnosed with the fatal disease as he kept the details private.
Not many people knew about his illness. This helped him continue his career as a Mixed-Martial Arts fighter. He had his last fight just 10 months before his untimely demise.
Elias Theodorou had a short but reputed career as an MMA Fighter
Elias Michael Theodorou was born on May 31, 1988. He was born and raised in Mississauga, Ontario. He attended Meadowvale Secondary School and went to Humber College to earn a B.A. Degree in Creative Advertising.
Theodorou started taking MMA classes as a workout before pursuing a career in MMA. He started his career in 2011 with 11 impressive victories in successive bouts and later moved to the UFC. He held an 8-3 record in the UFC and earned the contract by winning The Ultimate Fighter in 2014.
Theodorou recorded some high-profile victories in his career against the likes of Eryk Anders, Dan Kelly, Cezar Ferreira, and Sam Alvey. He also worked as the male ring card boy for an all-female MMA promotion Invicta before coming to the UFC.
Theodorou was released from Dana White’s promotion after a loss to Derek Brunson in 2019. He was ranked 15 in the middleweight division at the time. After that, he moved to compete in Prospect Fighting Championships.
Theodorou was known for being an advocate for the use of medicinal marijuana in combat sports. He made history by becoming the first fighter to receive a therapeutic use exemption for medical cannabis by the British Columbia Athletic Commission.
UFC World pays tribute to Elias Theodorou
Since the news of Elias Theodorou’s death emerged, the UFC universe and MMA fans have been paying tribute to the late fighter.
UFC President Dana White also paid respect to Elias on Instagram. “RIP Elias Theodorou,” he wrote in a Story.
“Wow Rest In Peace,” wrote UFC fighter Belal Muhammad.
Shannon Knapp, president of the Invicta Fighting Championship, also posted an emotional tribute. “You were such a beautiful soul. Always so kind and such a bright light in this world. This news is devastating. You will be greatly missed, but never forgotten. Fly high, Elias!” she wrote.
Thousands of fans have flooded social media platforms to remember Theodorou. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family. May God let his soul rest in peace.
