Elias Theodorou is a man who put together an impressive UFC record of 8-3 and had won three of his last four fights before being granted his walking papers from the promotion. The predominant speculation as to why that is has been narrowed down to the fighting style of Theodorou, which is unorthodox yet conservative with questionable engagement frequency and methods. For the first time since the release, Theodorou has opened up about his UFC termination, beginning with the fact that he holds no hard feelings towards the company:

“I have no ill will toward the UFC,” Theodorou told MMA Junkie. “I don’t think being upset about it does anyone good. Especially myself. I don’t want to burn any bridges, but I also want to look at it in the positive aspects where I’m happy and healthy, and I’ve been successful in 20 of my professional times.”

Theodorou went on to state that he does not take the UFC’s decision personally and believes that it was strictly a business decision:

“The UFC does have 600 athletes,” Theodorou said. “I think they just looked at what I was making now being 8-3 in the UFC, the five or seven Canadian fighters they recently added, they probably can pay every single one of their paychecks with my paycheck.

“I think the surprise – I think it kind of speaks to what my value is as a martial artist, and the people that know me inside the cage and out. I’m excited for the next step in my career and make myself undeniable, wherever that is.”

If you are a fan of Elias Theodorou, you can take comfort in the fact that even though he does not yet know where he will land next, he already has options aplenty and it’s only a matter of time before he competes again:

“There are many organizations that have already reached out that pretty much pay what the UFC pays in some capacity,” Theodorou (16-3 MMA) told MMA Junkie. “And now with the avenue of having sponsors potentially involved, there are avenues I could make the same money as a UFC fighter elsewhere.”