Canadian former UFC fighter Elias Theodorou dies at 34

Elias Theodorou, right, of Mississauga, Ont., battles Cezar Ferreira, of Brazil, in middleweight UFC Fight Night action, in Halifax on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2017. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan)

Former UFC fighter Elias Theodorou died at the age of 34, with media reporting the Canadian had been battling stage 4 liver cancer.

Theodorou, who died on Sunday, fought in 22 bouts in mixed martial arts, including 11 (8-3 record) in the UFC in the middleweight division.

He made his professional debut in 2011 and earned a UFC contract by winning The Ultimate Fighter in 2014.

His last professional bout was a win over Bryan Baker in December 2021 in Colorado.

Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru. Editing by Christian Radnedge