Elias Theodorou To Be First Professional Athlete to Compete in USA with TUE

11 November 2021

Elias Theodorou, MMA fighter and medical cannabis advocate, will be the first professional athlete to compete with an exemption for the use of medical cannabis in professional sport in the United States. The first-ever American bout, with an in-competition Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) in place for medical cannabis, will occur on December 18, 2021. The State of Colorado granted the TUE to Theodorou in May 2021.

“Validating my US Colorado TUE for cannabis with a fight and finish will officially stamp my place in American sporting history as the first sanctioned cannabis athlete,” says Elias Theodorou. “This is a precedent not only for myself but for other athletes in Colorado and other states, which in turn can create a wave of opportunities for other athletes to apply for the same right to medicate with cannabis in competition.”

The event will be commemorated by an exclusive NFT for sale on the New World platform, immortalizing the ‘knockout punch’ against stigma in professional athletics. “I will commemorate my next fight with an NFT that represents the ‘knockout punch’ to the prohibition in athletics, validating my therapeutic use exemption means,” he explained.

The Middleweight fight between former UFC (Theodorou 18-3) and Bellator (Baker 18-5) veterans leads the ticket co-promoted by Colorado Combat Club LLC and will take place at the Island Grove Event Center in Greeley, Colorado. The fight will also be broadcast as a 21+ pay-per-view.

The ticket includes a Pro Welterweight Title fight between Petrosyan and Dunkle, a Pro Full Rules Muay Thai Super Fight between Martinez and Lacroix, and a Bantamweight Title Contender fight between Valadez and Haas. The Island Grove Event Center is located at 501 N 14th Ave, Greeley, Colorado and doors open at 5pm local time.

You can download the LockerRoom India mobile app available on the Google Playstore and the App Store for all the latest news and updates from the Combat Sports World