MMA Fighter Elias Theodorou Dead At 34 After Battle w/ Liver Cancer

Former UFC fighter Elias Theodorou died Sunday following a battle with cancer. He was only 34 years old.

Theodorou had been courageously fighting stage 4 liver cancer ... but chose to share the diagnosis with only select people who were close to him.

Elias -- an outgoing and personable dude outside the cage -- was a heck of a fighter inside it. During his years in the UFC, Theodorou posted an 8-3 record with wins over Eryk Anders and Sam Alvey.

ET was also an advocate for the use of medical marijuana in combat sports ... believing the herb to be safer and more beneficial than prescription drugs.

Elias last fought in December 2021 ... against Bryan Baker at Colorado Combat Club 10, where he won by unanimous decision. Overall, ET was 19-3 professionally.

Back in 2018, Theodorou became the first "ring boy" ... when he worked the Invicta FC (all women's MMA promotion), strutting around the cage like Arianny Celeste.

We spoke to Elias at the time (March 2018) ... and he couldn't have been cooler.