Elias Theodorou Wins First Bout Since UFC Release

Elias Theodorou UFC 231
Credit: Karine LaRocque/Sherdog.com

Elias Theodorou is back in the win column with his first stoppage victory since 2015 at UFC 185.

In his first fight since being dismissed by the UFC while still a ranked middleweight, Canada’s Elias Theodorou has stepped back into the winner’s circle. Theodorou, a Mississauga, Ontario native who won The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia in 2014, returned to the cage at Prospect FC 12 on Friday night in Windsor, Ontario.

The ‘Mane Event’ was paired up with a fellow UFC alum, Hernani Perpetuo, who went 0-2 in the octagon in 2014, and who has also competed for ONE Championship.

And while Theodorou was criticized for his lack of finishes under the UFC banner, he at least rectified that on Friday, stopping Brazil’s Perpetuo via TKO in the third round.

With the win, Theodorou improves to 17-3, and is now 4-1 in his past five fights. The Canadian was released by the UFC off a single loss to Derek Brunson earlier this year at UFC Ottawa, a move that raised numerous eyebrows. Most pointed the finger at Theodorou’s style, and the UFC’s insistence that athletes put on “exciting” fights regardless of outcome.

It’s a situation that seems to have repeated itself with this week’s release of multi-time title challenger Liz Carmouche, who was cut from the company despite being 2-1 in her last three fights, and coming off a title-fight loss to Valentina Shevchenko.