UFC Sydney: Elias Theodorou defeated Daniel Kelly via unanimous decision on Saturday

Alec Gearty

•
UFC Sydney: Elias Theodorou defeated Daniel Kelly via unanimous decision on Saturday image

UFC Middleweight Elias Theodorou defeated Daniel Kelly via unanimous decision at UFC Sydney on Saturday. 

For Theodorou, the favorable outcome meant that he avoids a slumping losing streak. Instead, he gets a crucial victory. 

"With a win, I still have to go back to the drawing boards.” Theodorou told media after the win. “For now, I'm happy I won against a really tough guy and back on a win streak. There's things (that) I could have done better. There's things I could have done — you know to make sure I didn't get caught in some certain things."

From the moment the bout began, Theodorou used his 6-foot-1 stature to control the first round. With two swift kicks to Kelly, Theodorou established a precedent early on. Kelly reciprocated with a few jabs of his own but the first round came to a close hinting that it would take the remaining two rounds to decide a winner.

In the second round, Theodorou found himself in potential danger for the first time during the bout. Kelly's left hook sent the Mississauga, Ontario, native to the mat where he knew he had to defend the judo style of Kelly. That's where Theodorou's size came to his aid again.

With Kelly holding a clinch, Theodorou slowly rose to his feet — eventually breaking free of Kelly's hold. 

After the slight scare, Theodorou held his ground for the remainder of the second round. The two exchanged several shots using their specialties — Kelly using his judo, Theodorou with his kicks — but both entered the final round virtually unscathed. 

The final round was no different to what Theodorou had implemented for the entire bout. He relied on his kicks but in a swift moment, it was nearly over for Theodorou. Kelly suddenly took Theodorou to the ground and performed a rear-naked chokehold on the Canadian. With Kelly's hometown crowd roaring as they believed their hometown hero was seconds away from a win, Theodorou was determined not to submit.

Theodorou escaped Kelly's clutches and controlled the rest of the fight in the stand-up game. The judge's scorecards read 30-28, 30-27, 30-26 in favor of the 29-year-old Theodorou. In total, Theodorou landed 128 strikes against Kelly. He strayed away from any conflict on the ground as Kelly, who has recorded five submission victories in his career, led in takedowns, 2-0. The decision loss to Theodorou was the first time that the 40-year-old Kelly has lost in such fashion.

Theodorou has won three of his last five bouts with each result being decided by the judge's table. Either way, "The Spartan" says it's back to the drawing board for whoever may be next on his radar. 

Alec Gearty