Almost three years ago, Tom Theocharis declared he wanted to be the first mixed martial artist from Stratford to fight for a major promotion. The 30-year-old fulfilled that dream when he fought Ryan Loder on this week’s episode of The Ultimate Fighter, a reality series and MMA competition in which contestants battle for an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract. “I felt an immense amount of pressure,” he said.
“I’m the only guy who was Canadian. I was very honoured to be representing Canada on this season. The fight didn’t go my way, and I was so disappointed in myself and felt like I let so many people down.
” That hasn’t been the case. The show also allowed Theocharis, known as The Greek Warrior, to share his life story, from the sudden death of his girlfriend to the passing of a close friend and former UFC fighter to his struggles with depression and anxiety. Days before it aired, someone from the UFC’s media department reached out to Theocharis to compliment him on the “inspiring” episode.
His pre-show dread was gone. “I was a bit nervous because you never know how things play out,” he said. “I’m very happy with how the episode went.
They did a good job talking about my strengths as an athlete — the most powerful guy but my grappling is suspect. “It was amazing to hear (UFC president) Dana White talk about me so highly. I couldn’t believe Dana White was talking about me.
That was insane.” The outpouring of support since the show aired.
