"Straight away it was stage four" - Michael Bisping claims deceased MMA fighter Elias Theodorou's cancer diagnosis happened 'too late to do anything about'

Michael Bisping has suggested that late MMA fighter Elias Theodorou's cancer diagnosis happened too late. Theodorou competed in the UFC from 2014 to 2019. 'The Spartan' notably won 'The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia' tournament.

Theodorou's professional MMA record stands at 19 wins and 3 losses. The Canadian fighter's losses came via unanimous decision against UFC veterans Thiago Santos, Brad Tavares, and Derek Brunson respectively.

After departing from the UFC, Elias Theodorou put together an impressive three-fight win streak. Theodorou's final MMA bout was a unanimous decision victory over Bryan Baker at Colorado Combat Club 10 in December 2021.

As confirmed by his team via his official Twitter account, Theodorou passed away on September 11, 2022. He bravely fought colon cancer that had metastasized to his liver. The former UFC middleweight fighter was 34.

On his Believe You Me podcast, former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping revealed he was surprised to hear about Elias Theodorou's passing. He highlighted that Theodorou secured good wins in his career and only lost to the very best. 'The Count' stated:

"A mutual friend of ours, he messaged me today. He was only diagnosed -- It was liver cancer that he passed away from -- And he was only diagnosed with it in May; in f**king May. Do you know what I mean? And straight away it was stage four cancer, so it was too late to do anything about."

Bisping continued:

"I knew nothing about it. I didn't know he was sick. I didn't see any news stories. Diagnosed in May. What are we in now? September. Gone. My God. Awful, man. It's f**king awful. It's awful. He was such a nice guy; he really, really was."

Watch Bisping discuss the topic at 53:06 in the video below:

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Elias Theodorou's optimistic approach to MMA and life

Elias Theodorou has time and again been praised by many for his optimistic approach to MMA and life in general. Be it his advocacy for medical cannabis use or his friendly persona, he cemented his legacy as a truly beloved MMA personality.

A shining example of Theodorou's optimism came after his UFC departure in 2019.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani on ESPN MMA's Helwani Show, Elias Theodorou shared an inspiring message after his UFC release. Refusing to put an end date to his MMA career and expressing his gratitude for being able to compete in the sport, Theodorou said:

"Again, I don't want to put an end date in it because I think the day you start putting an expiry date on it, you already have your days numbered. I love what I do, as a martial artist and the subsequent stuff that comes with it."

Watch Theodorou's message below: