Article about Elias making more modeling than in the ring

[UFCBlackbelt]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...om&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial

TORONTO — Rick Marrs and his 11-year-old son, Kyle, stand side by side in the cage, backs against the fence, unsure of what will happen next. A man bounces over to them, wearing a lime green T-shirt and black leggings. His long black hair is tied up in a bun.

"Hi guys!" he says. "I'm Elias!"

Safe to say from the expressions on Rick's and Kyle's faces: Whatever nerves they had about getting free MMA training from a UFC star after Rick won this session in a recent contest, they're gone in an instant. Elias Theodorou has them immediately at ease.


The next instant, he has his new charges sashaying back and forth alongside him, practicing jabs and one-twos, saying things like "Bounce forward!" and "Be on your tiptoes!" and "Hands up!"

"You don't want to hurt the moneymaker, right?" he asks.

It's a jokey throwaway in most cases, but for Theodorou, it's more of a mission statement.

Theodorou is 14-2 as a pro fighter, including 6-2 in the UFC. He's successful but not what you'd call a "contender." He doesn't quite crack the top 15 of the UFC's official rankings for his weight class.

But what he lacks in big-time wins, he makes up for in other ways. Most notably, he's handsome. Very handsome. He long ago crowned his hair the best in MMA, and he didn't spark a lot of debate. Plenty of people lobbed insults his way. He turned them upside down, owning his metro-ness and spinning it into gold.

In fact, that's why he's in this Ontario gym on a Saturday morning. He's the North American brand ambassador for Pert shampoo, and the company essentially made Theodorou the grand prize of a contest.

"The contrast of a male fighter talking about his hair in an aesthetics capacity differentiated me from the stereotypical shaved head and tattoos," Theodorou explains. "It is obviously a concern that one broken nose could damage not only my face but my plans. But at the same time, I have 95 stitches in my face.


"The best thing about winning a fight is not looking like you got in a fight."

A UFC fighter with a face too pretty to punch? Seems like the narrative is too perfect to be true, right?

Parts of it are. Theodorou, 29, works as a pro fighter, a sport that's not exactly conducive to facial symmetry. He is also literally a hair model, a line of work that values physical appearance—you know, just a little bit. He also does a lot of on-camera work, where similar tenets apply.

There's more to it, though. UFC fighters earn far less money than their counterparts in other pro sports—despite often risking more, physically—and sponsorship opportunities are severely limited, so personal brand-building and creativity are important skill sets for fighters who want a bigger return on their athletic investment...

 

[ortizgnp]

He should stick to modeling then.

 

[lsa]

 

[loisestrad]

" A man bounces over to them, wearing a lime green T-shirt and black leggings. His long black hair is tied up in a bun.

"Hi guys!" he says. "I'm Elias!"

wtf, that sounds pretty disturbing. I imagine him laughing like a maniac. Glad it happened in a gym and not in the streets at night.

 

[Organic Damage]

He's a hair model? lol

 

[USA!USA!]

Calling him a "UFC Star" is a little over the top.

 

[CTEGod]

 

[Air Lats]

 

[Lifeform]

 

[trident]

No brainer there is more money in modeling than fighting, and in this age of floating between gender roles, its a ga-run-teed cash cow

 

[billharford]

I'm going to grab a smoke. Be back when this thread is over

 

[Tugboat]

Two careers, women fall at his feet. What a jackass.

 

[AP_RESURRECTION]

there isnt a lot of money in fighting, unless youre in the top 20 or so, and that isnt good odds - although might be better than being an nfl player

UFC is mean and all that, but realistically it just comes down to supply and demand - there are a bunch of poor fighters who will fight for free - realistically, if the ufc wanted, they could get people to fill their undercards for free, just for the opportunity - i know people who are fighting, and they would die to fight in UFC, just to tell everyone and for the promotion - that separates you from others -

but the public backlash would prob be too big, so they pay a nominal rate to appease people

 

[fiftywattmafia]

Let the jealous hate continue.

 

[ArtemV]

So, that's why he sucks at fighting.

 

[whaleshark]

Well he terrible at fighting so maybe he should stick to what he’s good at

 

[Verace]

Its not like he is a top fighter

Thats all relative too... At this point, there is a good chance Conor has made more money with advertisement than fighting If you take the Floyd fight away (which wasnt MMA)

 

[Cheapshart]

Priscilla Cachoeira rolled out of a crack den in her mid twenties, took up martial arts for the first time, and was a UFC fighter within 12 months.

She's an extreme example but the UFC is full of guys and girls who transitioned to MMA from other sports late in life and are now fighting at the highest level.

You can't do that in other pro-sports and the disparity in pay reflects that. The LeBron's and Kobe's of MMA are generations away.

 

[BEAST]

And who here wants to WALK WITH ELIAS?

 

[Terpizzle]

Good for him.... I bet he regrets that tribal tattoo though.