Issue 141
May 2016
Beaten, but not defeated, Elias Theodorou takes pride in his first loss and is still on his journey towards success inside and outside the octagon
Elias Theodorou
UFC middleweight
Alias: The Spartan
Age: 27
Team: Tristar
Record: 11-1
Q. What positives have come from your first professional loss?
A. I’m actually pretty proud of it. Looking back. I lost the fight – he didn’t win the fight. When you put it into perspective my opponent (Thiago Santos) was a two or three-time Muay Thai champion and I outstruck him in the first. But I doubled down on the wrong opportunity and it kind of slipped through my fingers. With that being said, he threw everything but the kitchen sink at me and I never faltered – I just kept pushing forward.
It’s actually my dad’s favorite fight because he says, ‘It showed my boy has balls.’ Even though I got poked in the eye and cut, I never quit. That will allow me to get that undefeated monkey off my back and not worry about finding out what a loss is. I won the first round, the second was really close and I lost the third. I’m not gong to sit here and dwell on it. I think I proved I’m not just the Canadian pretty boy.
Q. Have you made any changes to you training since that fight?
A. I’m going to be making my actual home gym in Tristar, which will allow me to have a set base. I need a coach like Firas (Zahabi) that will still allow me to practice my philosophy of training, traveling and seeing the world, because it’s all about the journey for me. I’ve had a relationship with Firas and the guys from Tristar for quite some time now. I’d worked with a lot of the guys in The Ultimate Fighter house. We have a great relationship and we’re all Canadian eh? So we get along pretty well. And the fact we’re all Canadian, even if they didn’t like me, they’d be too polite to say so (laughs).
Q. Why have you taken so long between fights recently?
A. I’m growing. I started martial arts when I was 20. I’m 27, so there’s a lot of catching up to do. With every single fight, my opponents become that much harder and I need time to expand my knowledge. I desire to be a martial artist every single day. There’s no such thing as off-season in our line of work. There’s always someone trying to kick your ass. We’re always growing, we always have to become better. Just because I’m the quintessential jack of all trades, master of none, I’ve got to build up my strength and improve on my weaknesses.
Q. How have you improved during the last year?
A. Before I was a little bit more of a gamer, in the sense that I’m much better on game day. I lose every single day at the gym. I get caught in things, I learn things and I learn not to do it when it really matters. The best guy doesn’t win every single time, it’s the guy who has the best day and I’ve been really good at putting it all together.
Now I’m really starting to understand the concept of becoming an actual martial arts practitioner. I did some of my last camp at Matt Serra’s BJJ with Ray Longo along with Lima MMA. I trained with Chris Weidman, Chris Camozzi, Ryan LaFlare, Gian Villante – like-minded individuals all building up to the same goal.
Q. Why is it so important for you to travel and train at different gyms with different fighters?
A. It’s inspiring to see how much belief Chris Weidman has in himself because he’s putting in the work and I fed off that – just being around it. Ray and Matt had nothing but open arms throughout the whole camp and they allowed me to train with him during his championship camp. It was amazing. I’ve left Toronto for every single fight – Long Island, Nogueira’s in Brazil, Tristar – I kicked off my UFC career at The Ultimate Fighter and learned from those out at Tiger Muay Thai (in Thailand). I leave all the distractions at home. I learn and take that momentum back.
Q. Was it tough getting the training you needed in your home town?
A. The thing with Toronto is everything’s so scattered. The ability to train with people my size and my talent is very hard. I put on about 15 hours a week in travel. My car is coming up on three years and I’ve already hit 170,000km on it. The nomadic aspect is forced on me regardless, so why not? I’m a huge believer that everything is about the journey.
Martial arts allows me to train around the world with the world’s best and learn, and that’s what gets me so excited. That’s why I get out of bed. I’m training with the world’s best and many other great fighters. I was in Brazil in the summer during carnival, I trained really hard and relaxed on a beach. I’m getting the best of everything every single time I go out and train.
Q. Would you like to fight more frequently?
A. It’s a long-term game. I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew. Some people want to get in three or four times a year and more power to them. I need to grow and I need to learn. I want to be a real martial artist and that’s what this time allows me to do. I’m in no rush because I’m 27 and the median age in my weight class is 31, so I’m about four years away from my ‘prime’.
I’m not just a fighter. There’s TV work and all this other stuff I’m doing because no one wants to get hit in the head forever. I’m doing what I love and that’s not just fighting, it’s growing as a martial artist and seeing the world, which allows me to train and live my nomadic lifestyle.
Q. How have your projects outside fighting helped your career?
A. I’ve developed myself and enhanced my fighting life. For instance, being on TV shows and a bunch of Harlequin novels. A lot of my mom’s friends bring those books into work. I was in the local newspaper, and my parents went to different stores to buy all the copies they could handle. All these things really make everything come full circle and show them I’ve done what I wanted to do. It makes me so proud that me making it makes them feel like they made it. They are my drive.
Some of my TV projects are starting to pick up now. One will encompass me traveling and training. It looks like it’s going to be picked up by a US broadcaster, so that’s huge. That will allow me to branch out but stick to the philosophy I practice and I love: the journey. Although I love mixed martial arts and I’m a fighter through and through, I don’t want to be just a fighter. I want to try everything.
Blood on the dance floor
Q. Have you ever had to take time off because of injury?
A. Knock on wood – and I’m knocking on my forehead here – I’ve had no real injuries. I’ve been lucky in the sense that my biggest injury was at my after-party of one of my fights. I finished the guy in a minute and a half, and I slipped and fell on the dance floor with a lovely young lady. Because I’m a gentleman I made sure that she didn’t fall. I caught her, broke my thumb and I was out for two months. Professional fighter, amateur dancer!
Pressure fighter
Q. Why are you always in high-energy fights?
A. I enjoy pressure. I try to force the stoppage. I think I can give them hell – more than they can handle – chewing them up and spitting them out. I’d much rather go 15 minutes. Some people might not like it, you might not get as many bonuses, but I only have 15 minutes or less to show everyone what I’ve been working on.
For my fight with Roger Navarez, I was fighting on the same card as Anthony Pettis and I was planning to jump off the cage and kick my opponent in the face. That’s something I do all the time. Instead, I broke his arm and knocked him out, which is a good problem to have.
I look forward to bringing the same ferocity and pace. I go forward until my opponent gives up or makes a mistake, and that’s what I think I’m best at – capitalizing on their mistakes. I’ve been able to evolve from that and do more.
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