On September 11, 2022, we lost a friend and fighter Elias Theodorou to cancer. For the unfamiliar, Elias won the Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs Australia, competed on the third season of The Ultimate Race Canada, and did some acting before he found a way to benefit us all. He would spend his last years Fighting the Stigma to make cannabis-as-medicine more accessible. We had the honor of interviewing him a couple of times in the last year, and we’d like to thank our producer, Amanda, for this video tribute to Elias, who died at the age of 34.
A Road Map for Cannabis in Sports
Elias not only blazed a path for cannabis-as-medicine in fighting, he paved it for the rest of sports. He was granted the first-ever Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) to use cannabis while he trained for MMA fights in Canada, and quickly leveraged that to do the same in the United States. Today, fighters anywhere in North America can treat ailments with cannabis if they follow Elias’ example, and athletes in other sports can do the same. I am even more amazed that he did this in his last months, given his condition at the time. What a giver!
Elias Would Help Anyone
One thing I’ve heard a lot in the last week was that Elias would give the shirt off his back to anyone, and I believe it. We got to work on a couple of promotions with him, and he was always excited to get to work, even with those that others would think were “beneath him”. We considered Elias a true friend and will miss him.
Funny as Shit
Watch our interviews, and you’ll see how relaxed and comical Elias could be. Whether it’s retelling the story of his disastrous first fight or showing off his glorious hair, Elias could make light of any situation.
Storz & Bickel Sponsorship
What brought us together at first was Elias’ sponsorship with S&B. As Elias raised awareness with his “Fight the Stigma” campaign, Storz & Bickel stepped up with a sponsorship – the first of its kind! We regularly talked about how he had the dream sponsorship, and how much we admired him for it. He was inspirational to us!
We Miss You
We already miss you, Elias. You were fun, giving, and inspirational. I hope we all can look to your life for inspiration. Thanks for sharing yourself with us, and calling us all higher!
Read the official statement here.