Why UFC's Elias Theodorou was encouraged by 'my worst day of work'

It takes something special to get onto a season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” To win the show puts fighters in another category altogether.

Next month, a pair of middleweight winners go toe to toe when “TUF: Brazil” champion Cezar Ferreira (11-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) travels far north to take on “TUF Nations” winner Elias Theodorou (12-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC). The fight is slated for UFC Fight Night 105, which takes place Feb. 19 at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It airs on FS1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

Although Ferreira is riding a three-fight winning streak and could be one of his toughest assignments yet, Theodorou’s had a look at his opponent’s resume, and he knows he may have a couple of advantages.

Going back nearly three years, Ferreira has three losses, and all three of them have come by first-round knockout. That, Theodorou said, means he’ll be more than happy to test Ferreira’s chin.

“I think his chin, I’m definitely going to check it,” Theodorou told MMAjunkie Radio. “I think that’s his biggest weakness.”

Theodorou said after Ferreira had those three knockout losses, which came in the span of four fights to C.B. Dollaway, Sam Alvey and Jorge Masvidal, he may have altered some of his offensive strategy in fights to help ensure his chin isn’t someplace it could be compromised.

And that means he may be thinking about taking the fight to the canvas against Theodorou.

“Regarding him thinking about (getting knocked out), he’s a little more reserved,” Theodorou said. “He’s moved away from his throwing-wild style and trying to be a little more reserved and going for takedowns a lot more. I think that has to do with him being knocked out four times (in his career), and I’m going to make it five.”

Theodorou fights for the first time since a June 2016 decision win over Alvey at UFC Fight Night 89 in Ottawa. That got the Canadian back in the win column after a unanimous-decision loss to Thiago Santos at UFC Fight Night 80 in Las Vegas a little more than a year ago.

The loss to Santos was the first of Theodorou’s career. He started his pro run with a 12-0 mark, and if you include his fights on “TUF” that don’t count toward his official record, it’s slightly more impressive.

Theodorou said the unanimous-decision setback to Santos could have easily been a draw, though he acknowledged there’s some inherent bias toward himself in that assessment.

Still, he takes comfort in the belief that even when he wasn’t at his best, he was still right there in the game.

“In many ways, that was my worst day of work,” Theodorou said. “I know I’m biased, and it could have come off of more of a draw. He threw everything but the kitchen sink at me, and I kept going forward. Prior to that, I’d never lost a round. To know that when (expletive) hits the fan, I at no point waver – that’s something you can’t know unless it happens. Going on that 12-fight winning streak and two in the (‘TUF’) house with no amateur background, when (expletive) hit the fan, I kept on going.”

Now his goal is to hit Ferreira’s chin and make that proverbial (expletive) hit the fan for his Brazilian opponent, as well.

For more on UFC Fight Night 105, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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