Medical cannabis advocate MMA fighter Elias Theodorou dies

Elias Theodorou, best known for his successful mixed martial artist (MMA) career and advocacy for medicinal cannabis, passed away on September 11 at the age of 34 after a long battle with liver cancer.

Born in Mississauga, Canada, in the province of Ontario, Theodorous’s career began after his freshman year of college. High Times had the pleasure of interviewing him in January 2021, where he explained that a video posted to YouTube of him losing a fight went viral.

“Demoralized, I confided in my father and he said, ‘You love this [Ultimate Fighting Championship] UFC stuff so much, why don’t you go to a gym and make sure that never happens again?'” he told the High Times. “And I did. At first I wanted to regain my pride against the person who was embarrassing me, instead I gained a sense of purpose – to enlighten both body and mind now in ‘higher’ education.”

Theodorou’s career took him to great heights, which led him to become a UFC fighter and become the 2014 middleweight champion of The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia. He was released from his UFC contract in 2019 but went on to fight and win at the Prospect Fighting Championships in December 2019, Rise FC in March 2021 and Colorado Combat Club 10 in December 2021.

His trainer and longtime friend Lachlan Cheng was a medical cannabis patient for more than 10 years. When he saw his trainer using medicinal cannabis, he was confronted with the benefits of cannabis versus the negative effects of prescription drugs.

Personally, he began using medicinal cannabis to treat his bilateral neuropathy (nerve damage) in his upper extremities. “Fighting is torture, so my treatment options were opioids and painkillers or cannabis,” he said. “One is highly addictive and has caused death through abuse – not to mention the side effects such as constipation, stomach upset, bloating and many other debilitating effects both as a patient and as an athlete. The alternative is cannabis, a drug that helps me compete and live on an equal footing while treating my condition.”

In 2020, Theodorou became the first athlete in North America to receive a therapeutic use exemption for his cannabis use. “I was the first professional athlete and UFC fighter to apply for a therapeutic use exemption in the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) testing pool, which is part of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA),” said Theodorou. “My [therapeutic-use exemption] was not accepted for the UFC, although USADA approved my condition and potential need for cannabis as it is funded by the US government, which still has cannabis as a Schedule I substance. That said, they don’t believe it has any medicinal properties…They only recommended painkillers, opioids, and antidepressants.”

His advocacy of medicinal cannabis continued until his death. On August 29, he shared support for a cannabis brand called Game Day. “Keep playing! #PlantsOverPills @gameday.98 has officially started! We couldn’t be more excited to be part of a company and team ready to change the game in both cannabis and esports! Ready to break the stigma fight because “I choose cannabis instead. #Dope #Sports,” he wrote.

After his death, many remember Theodorou’s career and his easygoing personality throughout his career. “I have the biggest smile and have a constant laugh with my team throughout training camp and fight week,” he told High Times. “It might sound the opposite of what a fighter does, but I love what I do so it’s easy to enjoy the process.”

He also served as a “ringboy” for Invicta FC, an All-Pro women’s MMA championship to promote equality. “The addition of ringboys is just another way to level the playing field in another area of ​​the sport. I think we’re on the right side of history,” he told the BBC in March 2018. “So far I would say the response has been 70-80% positive. Some people don’t get it, but that’s okay. Anyway, those who know me will know that I generally have a pretty positive conversation. When people troll me about other things, I show them kindness.”

Many notable advocates have died recently, including Olivia Newton-John and Zahra Abbas in August.