On Saturday night, in the co-main event of UFC Ottawa, Canada’s Elias Theodorou took on one of his toughest tests to date in long-time middleweight contender Derek Brunson. Unfortunately for Theodorou and his dedicated fans, this mission didn’t go as planned, as he was out-worked to a unanimous decision loss.

Speaking on Instagram on Saturday night Elias Theodorou issued a quick statement on this loss to Derek Brunson. The Canadian was as classy as ever, offering his respect to his opponent, and vowed to come back stronger.

“You either win or you learn,” Theodorou wrote in his post-fight statement on Instagram. “Wasn’t my night tonight, but honored to have my team by my side in victory and defeat. We’ll be back with much to learn. Nothing but respect to Derek, he was the better man tonight. “

With this loss to Brunson, Elias Theodorou returns to the loss column after a trio of decision defeats over Dan Kelly, Trevor Smith and Eryk Anders. The Canadian middleweight, who might well remain in the division’s top-15 despite this loss, is now 16-3 overall.

What do you think is next for Theodorou after UFC Ottawa?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 5/5/2019.