Elias Theodorou (17-3) will make history on Saturday night in the main event of Rise FC 6.
It was the kind of regional booking that only made sense in context — a recent UFC mainstay headlining a small Ontario show, but with a first-of-its-kind exemption attached that turned a tune-up fight into a genuine regulatory milestone for the sport.
The Canadian is set to return to action against former UFC fighter Matt Dwyer (11-7). It is a big fight for Canadian MMA, but the fight is more meaningful for Theodorou.
Dwyer was a fitting opponent for the occasion — a durable veteran of both the UFC and the western Canadian circuit whose name still draws on regional cards, and whose own winding career made him a credible test rather than a pushover.
The former UFC middleweight contender will be the first fighter to be able to fight with a therapeutic use exemption for cannabis. For Theodorou, he said he’s glad he’s being the trailblazer as this is something he has been wanting to do for years.
The TUE was the real headline — cannabis had sat on athletic commissions' banned lists for decades, and a sanctioned exemption for a professional fighter was a first that pushed the conversation past theory and into practice.
“Progress is not overnight and it is constantly changing,” Theodorou said to MMA Empire.
“Other commissions are starting to understand how cannabis helps athletes recover and I’m excited to help lead the charge. It is about fighting the stigma of cannabis and proving the medical reasons why I use it and why it needs to be legal. I’m being the trailblazer.”
The exemption's significance ran past one fight card — every commission watching could no longer claim the question was hypothetical, and athletes who used cannabis for legitimate recovery suddenly had a precedent to point at.
Although Theodorou, 32, is making history, many are surprised he’s fighting for another regional show. The Canadian was a top-10 UFC middleweight and was released after one loss to Derek Brunson. Many figured he would have options with Bellator and PFL, but the Canadian decided to fight local and picked up a big win at Prospect FC 12 in December 2019.
The surprise is understandable — fighters a year removed from the UFC rarely volunteer for small-promotion co-headliner duties, but Theodorou's involvement went deeper than the matchup itself.
Against Dwyer, Theodorou is the co-promoter and is helping end the stigma around cannabis. However, he is open to the fact that after this fight, him signing with a big promotion is likely.
The dual role — headliner and stakeholder — is unusual even by regional standards, but it fit a fighter who had spent years turning his platform into advocacy work.
“I am focused on finishing what I started, and that is what this fight is. I will eventually fight in other regions, but I’m lucky to be in a position where I fight because I love it. I’m really excited to put on a hell of a show,” Theodorou explained.
“When my career is over, I will do what I wanted to do and that is to make history as being the first sanctioned cannabis athlete and knock cannabis off the restricted list for commissions. Come 2022, there might be a time when I sign with a major promotion, but I have been lucky to work on this goal and work on other projects. Once I get my hand raised and I get the momentum of another win, it will allow me to sign with a big promotion.”
In the fight, Theodorou knows he will be too much for Dwyer and expects to get his second straight finish.
For Theodorou the fight doubled as a statement of intent — prove the in-cage results still justify bigger bookings while the off-cage campaign rewrites the rulebook.
The Mississauga, Ont. native also plans on proving to everyone he still is one of the best middleweights in the world.
“For me, this fight is about getting another finish. I know what I’m capable of and I have gone back to the basics,” Theodorou said.
“I have been lucky enough to train throughout this year and reinvent myself. I’m going to get a finish here against Matt Dwyer. I’m one of the best fighters in the world and I will prove that on March 13 against a tough fighter.”
If Theodorou gets his hand raised on March 13, the goal is to be active this year for whatever promotion that might be.
Activity is how a post-UFC run gets rebuilt — stay visible, keep winning, and let the name do the negotiating.
However, he also plans on continuing to prove to commissions that cannabis shouldn’t be on the restricted list.
“I will fight a very game fighter and be active going forward. This year will be growing as a fighter, as I am in my prime and take my career in whatever direction I want to go in,” Theodorou concluded.
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