Theodorou a big hit at home
TV time and a tense win major stepping-stones for Mississauga fighter Mississauga’s Elias Theodorou, in red, won a split decision against Eryk Anders on Saturday.
Fifteen minutes before the early undercard action at UFC 231 began, the big screens at Scotiabank Arena showed a highlight reel outlining the fight disciplines that, taken together, compose the sport of mixed martial arts, and the video promised the event would deliver something spectators had “never seen before.”
Except most of the fans at the arena that early were hardcore UFC followers who had seen it all, both in this arena and in this market.
The last time the UFC visited Toronto, two years ago this weekend, they would have witnessed Saturday’s co-headliner Max Holloway dismantle Anthony Pettis in a featherweight title fight. Three years before that they’d have seen Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson engage in a wild, five-round slugfest for the light-heavyweight belt.
And seven years ago 55,000 fans, then a UFC record, packed the Rogers Centre to watch Georges St-Pierre defeat Jake Shields in the main event of the promotion’s Toronto debut.
The crowds have dwindled since then, though organizers said late in fight week that the event was edging toward a sellout. And promoters showed they took their return to Canada’s biggest market seriously.
Before the action started, Octagon announcer Bruce Buffer strutted past press row, pausing to open his tuxedo jacket and reveal a pair of large maple leaves embroidered on the inside.
In the main event, Holloway was scheduled to defend his UFC featherweight title against undefeated Californian Brian Ortega, but when the undercard began a series of Canadian hopefuls entered the octagon to raucous cheers.
Mississauga’s Elias Theodorou led off the televised portion of Saturday’s card, and even the B-side fighter had a Canadian connection. Before becoming a mixed martial artist, Eryk Anders was a linebacker who starred at the University of Alabama and had a short stint with the Calgary Stampeders.
Saturday he showed off a pair of heavy hands, and rattled Theodorou with a straight left midway through Round 2. But the 30-year-old Theodorou controlled most of the rest of the fight, emerging with a split decision win, a black eye and big plans for the rest of the evening.
“I have an after-party at The Pint, and it would have been a different atmosphere if I didn’t get my hand raised,” said Theodorou, now 17-2 as a pro. “I’m going to soak it in with a lot of people that I love.”
UFC debutant Kyle Nelson promised action in his bout against Diego Ferreira, and for the first half of the first round the Stoney Creek resident delivered. He stunned the Texasbased Brazilian with several left hooks and a head kick, and rebuffed Ferreira’s attempts to turn their bout in to a grappling match.
But Ferreira found soon found his rhythm, landing big punches and succeeding in dragging Nelson to the mat, where the Canadian spent the final phases of Round 1 pretzeled in a corner with Ferreira roughing him up. Early in Round 2, Ferreira dumped Nelson again, then pounded on him until the referee stopped the fight.
Nelson had fought Nov. 19 in Romania and signed for Saturday’s fight just four days ago, when Ferreira’s opponent was scratched. Ferreira noticed how quickly Nelson’s fatigue set in, and stepped up his attack.
“I started feeling like he was gassing out,” Ferreira said in a post-fight interview. “It’s my fight now.”
Minutes later, Chatham, Ont., native Chad Laprise sprinted to the octagon for his preliminary bout with Dhiego Lima. But the fight didn’t last much longer than Laprise’s ring entrance.
After avoiding Laprise’s initial rushes, Lima landed a left hook that splattered the Canadian to the canvas, then stood over him with arms spread and waited for the referee to intervene.
“I found my timing, and I saw (the opening)” Lima said in a post-fight interview. “He got caught in his past two fights. He’s had a tough few fights.”