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Shocking: UFC fighter dies at 34

Here is some heart-breaking UFC news for you.

Elias Theodorou, a former TUF winner and UFC veteran, died of cancer yesterday. His age was 34.

BJPENN.com was the first to report his death, followed by TSN’s Aaron Bronstetor and MMA Fighting.

Theodorou had recently been diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer.

On May 31, 1988, he was born in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Theodorou joins the cast of The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia in 2013 after an undefeated run on the Canadian MMA circuit.

On April 16, 2014, he defeated Sheldon Westcott to win the middleweight bracket of that series. Theodorou then went 7-3 versus UFC opponents, defeating Sam Alvey, Cezar Ferreira, Dan Kelly, and Eryck Anders.

He was released from the UFC in 2019. Then he won three more fights, bringing his pro record to 19-3.

His most recent fight was a victory over Bryan Baker at Colorado Combat Club 10 in December 2021. In that battle, Theodorou made history by becoming the first MMA fighter to participate with a cannabis medicinal use exemption.

During the years leading up to the fight, he actively fought for the inclusion of cannabis as a therapeutic drug in sports.

In 2018, Theodorou made history by being the first ‘Ring Boy’ to compete for all-female MMA promotion Invicta Fighting Championships. In 2015, he was a cast member on the third season of The Amazing Race Canada.

Hasbulla Magomedov signs 5-year contract with the UFC

According to MMA reporter Igor Lazorin, Hasbulla Magomedov has reportedly signed a 5-year contract with the UFC.

Hasbulla, often known as’mini Khabib,’ attended the UFC 267 event in Abu Dhabi in October and made quite an impression.

The viral MMA sensation was spotted in the cage with MMA icon Khabib Nurmagomedov moments after Islam Makhachev dispatched Dan Hooker.

Hasbulla was also cageside for Petr Yan’s victory over Cory Sandhagen, as well as Glover Teixeira’s historic victory over Jan Blachowicz.

During an earlier interview with Bar Stool Sports, UFC President Dana White mentioned meeting a “mini Khabib.”

“So I’m going to tell you something. So the video that he sent saying ‘Dana White I’m coming to Abu Dhabi and UFC’, so when I posted that with me on the plane saying ‘I’m coming’, it’s the biggest post that I’ve ever posted.” White said. “I have 6.7 million followers on Instagram, 6.4 million people watched that video. Is that f*cking crazy?!”

The UFC boss was then asked how his meeting with Hasbulla went and if there was any chance fight fans could see ‘mini Khabib’ inside of the Octagon?

“Incredible,” White said of the meeting. “I love the kid. Is there more than a zero percent chance? Yes.”