Elias Theodorou's win over Dan Kelly got him back to his winning ways, even if the win involved a ton of kicking.
Theodorou spoke to Fightful after his win on the UFC Fight Night 121, which took place in Sydney, Australia on November 19. The buildup to the fight wasn't exactly a quiet one, with both men getting heated and Kelly getting into a physical confrontation with Theodorou. Theodorou said any comments he had made in the past weeks and months weren't to be taken too seriously.
“It was actually more from him, it was ironic. He would call me two-faced in some interviews because of some of the things I’ve said on Twitter. It wasn’t anything personal,” Theodorou said.
Theodorou said the game plan was to use his kicking skills to pick up the win. Despite Theodorou throwing more than 100 kicks in the fight, the former Ultimate Fighter winner said his leg is fine outside of some minor swelling, which was to be expected.
“[The leg is] totally fine. It’s a little swollen, little banged up, but whatever. It’s expected when you throw 109 kicks in a fight. One-hundred percent, that was the plan, keeping distance. He has a bit of an unorthodox style like myself, but in a different capacity. It was working and I kept on going with it. Obviously, going back to the drawing board, I need to add more in regards to hand and the knees I used well. Moving forward, I need to add more of those. I got a win against a very game opponent,” Theodorou said.
In regards to looking for a finish in that fight, Theodorou thought at times that he had a good chance of scoring one against Kelly. As Theodorou keeps climbing the ladder of competition in the UFC, the skill levels of his opponents increase and Theodorou said he hopes to eventually become a top 5 fighter with more time and preparation.
“There were a couple of times where I wobbled him with the kicks and hitting him to the head. It comes with confidence. The day I am as good as I am in training is the day I turn into a top 10, top 5 competitor," Theodorou said.
Theodorou also said he plans to be ready in case an injury replacement is needed on the UFC on Fox 26 card in Winnipeg, Canada on December 16. The full interview can be seen in the video above.
