Elias Theodorou Frustrated By USADA's 'Outdated' Stance On Cannabis

Elias Theodorou is currently preparing for this weekend’s bout against Derek Brunson when the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Ottawa for UFC Fight Night 151.

The 30-year-old Canadian suffers from chronic neuropathic pain and has used cannabis to treat the condition. However, the use of cannabis -- even medical use -- is forbidden by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).

“The Spartan” has been campaigning for the better part of two years to have cannabis approved by USADA with no success and has been told he needs to exhaust other avenues of medicine to treat his condition such as fibromyalgia Lyrica, opioids and painkillers before they will allow it (via MMAJunkie.com):

“Unfortunately, it’s an outdated mindset I’m fighting,” he told fans during an open workout this week.

Thedorou said he’s trying to abide by the rules and has used a number of different medicines recommended to him by USADA but they have side effects such as bloating and constipation which means body shots are harder for him to absorb during a fight.

“They’ve essentially agreed that I have the condition I have,” Theodorou said. “But they want me to do is exhaust all other medicine.”

Theodorou is currently ranked 13th in the UFC’s middleweight division and riding a three-fight winning streak with victories over Dan Kelly, Trevor Smith and most recently Eryk Anders back at UFC 231 in December.

UFC Fight Night 151: Iaquinta vs. Cowboy takes place Saturday, May 4 at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario. The 12-fight card is anchored by the main event between lightweight contenders Al Iaquinta and Donald Cerrone, while Theodorou and Brunson meet in the co-main event.