Elias “theSpartan” Theodorou
Canadian MMA fans are no strangers to excellence. From the first Canadian UFC
champion, Carlos Newton, to heavy hitters such as Patrick Côté, from the dominant,
fiveyearplus welterweight championship reign of Georges StPierre to the emergence of
heir apparent Rory MacDonald, the Great White North has produced elite mixed martial
artists the equal of traditional powerhouses and founders America, Brazil and Japan. In
fact, so exuberant has the red and white nation’s love, and support, of MMA been that no
less an authority than UFC President Dana White once declared Canada “the mecca of
the UFC.”
With a lineage of great warriors and the nation’s undying support, it’s little surprise, then,
that a ravenous, young breed of fresh, driven, incredibly skilled athletes are taking the
UFC, and MMA, by storm. Leading the charge, and fittingly so, is the Spartan, Elias
Theodorou.
Many UFC fans were at least casually familiar with the Spartan, thanks to his dominant
run on TUF Nations: Team Australia vs. Team Canada, where the sixfootoneinch,
220lbs. (Happy weight), handsome, exuberant, gregarious, extroverted then25yearold
slammed, wrestled and grinded his way effortlessly through his Australian opposition to
claim the initial spot in the middleweight finals at TUF Nations: Bisping vs. Kennedy.
However, it was at said finales, at the Colisée Pepsi in Quebec City, against fellow Team
Canada member Sheldon Westcott, where the Spartan not only demonstrated his
complete MMA game and indomitable will — withstanding an allout blitz by Westcott
in the opening moments, then taking control of the fight, outstriking and flinging his
opponent to the ground, as well as raining down vicious ground’n’pound — but his
innate charisma and superstar potential. While in the process of mauling Westcott on the
mat in the second round, the Spartan offered his adversary a brief respite when he faced
the camera and cheerfully uttered the since viral social media sensation, “hi, mom” — his
parents were in attendance, mere metres away from the Octagon — before resuming the
assault. A little over 30 seconds later, the fight was halted and Elias was declared the
inaugural Canadian Middleweight Ultimate Fighter. A hug with Dana and an award
presentation later, and the Spartan had officially arrived in the UFC. However, like many
seemingly overnight success stories, this one has been some time in the making, with the
Spartan hard at work for years, honing his craft, sharpening his skills and preparing for
his chance at greatness.
The Spartan (née Elias Theodorou) was born in the city of Mississauga, Ontario. While
this Greater Toronto Area affiliate has produced its fair share of hockey celebrities (such
as hall of fame goaltender Johnny Bower and the brash Don Cherry), Elias eschewed the
Canadian pastime and spent his youth on the baseball diamond and adolescence as a
semipro skateboarder. At the tender age of 17, while attending Meadowvale High
School, he would witness a fight that would not only change the future of the UFC and
MMA, but impact his as well. To say the lightheavyweight bout between Stephan
Bonnar and Forrest Griffin at the original The Ultimate Fighter finale overachieved
would be akin to stating that Godzilla inflicted “minor” damage on Tokyo.
Bonnar/Griffin I has been dubbed “the most important fight in the history of the UFC,”
changing the face of MMA and its popularity forever, and like millions watching the
world over, once the final bell sounded upon the completion of that historic threeround
war of attrition, Elias was hooked.
The Spartan began training at just 20 years of age at Toronto, ON’s Kros gym, in the
disciplines of BJJ and Muay Thai, during his first year of university. A quick study, Elias
swiftly racked up five Muay Thai wins and two Sanshou victories, going undefeated as
an amateur — a trend that would continue throughout his career, and one that has yet to
be broken. After receiving a degree in Creative Advertising from Humber College, the
Spartan made the decision to take his training to the next level and travelled to the
renowned Tiger Muay Thai Gym in Thailand to expand and refine his skillset in “the art
of eight limbs.” During his training in Thailand, the Spartan would compete in two Muay
Thai bouts, this time in the country where it originated, and is religion. The result? Two
firstround (T)KO victories.
Upon his return from the land of flying knees and Pad Thai, the Spartan began searching
for his first professional MMA fight. A flurry of emails to various Canadian and U.S.
promotions was met with an offer to fight hometown hero Tanner Tolman in Calgary, AB
at HKFC’s School of Hard Knocks 12. Despite being Elias’s professional MMA debut,
the result was the same: a first round (T)KO victory. He would return just three months
later for his sophomore proMMA bout, defeating Steve Hodgson by RNC in the second
round at HKFC: School of Hard Knocks 14.
With two pro wins under his belt, the Spartan’s stock was on the rise, or at least available
for purchase, on the Canadian MMA scene and he moved to Mecha MMA, after an
introduction by rockstarturnedFightNetworkMMAanalystextraordinaire Robin
Black, who would become an integral part of Team Spartan over the following years. At
Mecha, he would train with the likes of JMMA legend Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto and
Canadian standout Alex Ricci, while meeting longtime coaches Lachlan Cheng (BJJ)
and Chute Boxe’s Sergio Cuhna (striking).
Between running into future TUF Nations coach Patrick Côté, postUFC 140: Jones vs.
Machida, in a Pizza Pizza (where a danceoff quickly ensued) and castmates Nordine
Taleb and Chad Laprise following his only Bellator appearance, the Spartan added two
additional victories to his undefeated streak, besting Erik Herbert by unanimous decision
at Score Fighting Series Four and Rich Lictawa by thirdround (T)KO at Bellator
Fighting Championships (a bout Elias took on only six days notice). A trip to Brazil with
Ricci and Cunha soon followed, with the Spartan training alongside
UFC/poundforpound great Anderson Silva, Pride legends the Nogueira brothers and
bane of limbs Rousimar Palhares, under the tutelage of the venerable Murilo Bustamante.
As the Spartan’s skills and experience expanded so too did his undefeated record, with a
visit to Montreal’s famed Tristar Gym and training at Burlington’s BAMA sandwiched
between unanimous decision victories over Simon Marini (Score Fighting Series Five)
and Ali Mokdad (Score Fighting Series Seven). Occasional work at the Adrenaline
Training Centre in London, ON, with the likes of Canadian UFC contingent members
Sam Stout and Mark Hominick, and regular training at Para Bellum MMA and the
Headrush Training Centre (formerly Grant’s MMA) followed, as did a victory over Mike
Kent via firstround submission (punches) at ECC 17: Rise of Champions. Said triumph
not only earned Elias the ECC middleweight title (his first, although not last,
championship), but bumped his undefeated record to a perfect sevenandoh. His second
title would soon follow, along with training at Joslin’s MMA, just a little over three
months later, when the Spartan (T)KO’d Travis Clark at NAAFS: Rock n Rumble Seven
to capture the NAAFS middleweight championship.
With his undefeated record now an unblemished eightandoh, and his reputation as
Canada’s top middleweight firmly established, the Spartan auditioned for (with the
assistance of a successful FundaFighter campaign), and was accepted to, The Ultimate
Fighter Nations: Team Canada vs. Team Australia. During his two bouts on the reality
show, Elias demonstrated his MMA intelligence and acumen, easily controlling and
defeating his Aussie opposition (Zein Saliba and Tyler Manawaroa, respectively) in the
quarter and semifinals to advance to the finale against teammate Sheldon Westcott
uninjured and virtually untouched. Additionally, Elias’s time on TUF Nations allowed
him many opportunities to display his extroverted personality, boyish charm, giftofgab,
modelesque looks (more on that later) and Samsonesque mane, which has been
rightfully dubbed “the best hair in MMA.”
His TUF Nations experience also gave the young Spartan a chance to reconnect with, and
be instructed by, Team Canada friend and head coach Patrick Côté, as well as the likes of
Muay Thai guru Kru Ash, Brazilian Top Team Canada mastermind Fabio Holanda,
former Strikeforce middleweight champ Cung Lee, aforementioned grappling wizard
Murilo Bustamante and Olympic wrester David Zimmerman. One of the Spartan’s most
memorable moments (besides his two dominating victories, of course, and having dinner
with welterweight great GSP) was a surprise meeting with UFC lightheavyweight
kingpin and inspiration Jon Jones. Of course, being Elias, it was while wearing a Spartan
helmet…
Following the filming of TUF Nations, the Spartan diligently began preparing for his
middleweight finale showdown at TUF Nations: Bisping vs. Kennedy, adding Xtreme
Couture Toronto to his numerous gyms and BJJ wizard Wagnney Fabiano to his long list
of impressive coaches, as well as Burlington’s Tapout Training Centre. In addition, Elias
embarked upon a second pilgrimage to the holy land of striking, returning to Tiger Muay
Thai, this time with fellow TUF Nations competitor Richard Walsh and coach Côté,
training under the likes of the esteemed Master Yod, as well as UFC vets Roger Huerta
and Brian Ebersole. All his preparations paid off handsomely, with the Spartan turning in
an impressive performance and emerging victorious at the finale, earning a contract with
the UFC and an opportunity for potential stardom in the process.
In his Octagon return, after winning TUF Nations: Australia vs. Canada, the Spartan was
matched up with tougherthanatwodollar steak Brazilian grappler Bruno Santos. In a
gruelling contest that tested both men’s physical limits, the Spartan emerged victorious,
outgrappling the grappler and taking the W. Dissatisfied with this decision win, the
Spartan was matched up next with former light heavyweightturnedmiddleweight Roger
Narvaez, in his home state of Texas. After a close first round, the Spartan broke
Narvaez’s arm with a kick in the second and quickly pounced, finishing the Texan with a
flurry of punches for the (T)KO in the second.
Taking some time away from the Octagon, but not training (returning to Canadian
institution Tristar, along with working with the likes of the legendary Nogueira Brothers,
in Brazil, and thenmiddleweight champ Chris Weidman, in NYC), the Spartan appeared
on Canada’s version of The Amazing Race, before returning to the Octagon to battle
Muay Thai specialist Thiago Santos.
In the most difficult test of his career yet, the Spartan would be pushed to his limits —
and beyond. Taking the first round with his unorthodox, kickheavy striking style, and
many argue the second as well, the Spartan suffered a severe laceration over his eye from
a knee strike and absorbed a number of vicious shots from his opponent in the third.
Bloody but unbowed, the Spartan battled through this adversity, refusing to succumb, yet
picking up his first defeat via decision in a contest that easily could have gone the other
way. Despite this decision, the Spartan learned a number of important lessons, in the
process rededicating himself to his craft, training with renewed fervour at Tristar, with
the likes of the legendary Georges StPierre and welterweight contender Rory
MacDonald, for his upcoming contest in Ottawa against Sam Alvey, on June 18th, 2016.
In addition to being a superb athlete and possessing a degree in Creative Advertising, the
Spartan is also incredibly easy on the eyes, with a chin carved from granite, luscious
locks and an action figure physique. Coupled with his charisma and charm, these physical
attributes have allowed him to pursue various modelling and acting opportunities. To
date, the Spartan’s likeness has been featured on eight Harlequin romance novel covers,
and he’s acted and performed stunt work in The Listener, Played and Netflix’s upcoming
The No. 1 Contender, as well as appearing as eyecandy on Dragon’s Den and competing
on The Amazing Race. Unfortunately for his innergeek, Elias had to pass on roles in the
Godzilla and Robocop reboots to compete on TUF Nations. However, the window of
opportunity for any professional athlete is small, and while he hopes to one day return to
his nonfighting endeavours, for now, there’s only one path: MMA.
In just an impressive seven years of training and competing, via incredible hard work and
selfconfidence, the Spartan has progressed from being just another kid with visions of
one day fighting on the grandest stage of them all to becoming the inaugural Canadian
middleweight Ultimate Fighter, placing his name alongside the likes of Forrest Griffin,
Rashad Evans, Matt Serra, Michael Bisping and many other previous winners. In talking
to The Fight Network’s renowned MMA analyst Robin Black, it’s clear in his eyes what
separates the Spartan from the rankandfile. “There’s only one thing about Elias that’s
relevant: mental strength. Elias is mentally one of the strongest men walking — happily
dancing? — the Earth. His humble yet powerful belief in himself has never failed him,
and it never will.”
It’s this vast well of inner strength and belief that earned him the Spartan moniker. While
anyone who’s spent time with Elias or seen him on the small or big screens in a
nonMMA capacity may have trouble reconciling the energetic, garrulous, attractive,
longhaired, funloving manchild with the indomitable, stoic, merciless warrior said
epithet conjures, one need only witness him in action to understand why it’s appropriate.
No one works more diligently, in training or the cage, or is as mentally resilient as the
Spartan.
A workhorse in any environment, when it comes to preparing or competing, a change
overtakes Elias — a narrowing of vision, a focusing. When the Spartan emerges for
battle, he is singleminded and utterly relentless in the pursuit of victory. The Spartan’s
slamheavy, relentless, kick and kneefavouring, grinding, testofwills style sets a
frenetic pace few in the sport can match or withstand. Examine his history and
accomplishments, and there’s one undeniable conclusion: the Spartan is destined for
greatness.