Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight contender, Elias Theodorou, became the first mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter to receive a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) for medical cannabis, courtesy of the British Columbia Athletic Commission, according to a statement released by Paradigm Sports Management, Theodorou’s management firm.

The TUE allows Theodorou “to continue his doctor-prescribed use of medicinal cannabis and protects him from penalty if he tests above the previous threshold for in-competition use. He will follow the guidelines provided by the athletic commission regarding fight-week medical use,” Theodorou said in the statement.

“I am grateful both as a patient and an athlete for the approval of my medical cannabis TUE by the BC Athletic Commission, recognizing my fundamental Canadian right to medicate as prescribed by my medical doctor. I remain committed to fighting the negative stigma of medical cannabis, not only for myself but for all athletes,” Theodorou added.

Theodorou (17-3), who rose to fame on “The Ultimate Fighter: Nations” back in 2014, tried (and failed) to score the same TUE with United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) during his time under the UFC banner, which ended last May.

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