Bella Mir lost her chance at a UFC contract tonight at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas despite entering as a -6000 favorite.
With Dana White at cageside and her legendary dad Frank Mir in the corner, the unbeaten jiu-jitsu specialist took on Alex Apodaca in the main event of this week’s Dana White’s Contender Series. She was given fierce competition for a deal on the undercard as every fight ended within the distance.
‘Lady’ was given a massive reception by the crowd at the new-look UFC HQ, and wasted no time getting stuck into her rival. However, the occasion clearly proved too much as she struggled from the first round and lost a Unanimous 29-28 Decision to a massive underdog.
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Bella Mir vs Alex Apodaca Dana White’s Contender Series result
It took a matter of seconds before Bella Mir began to show off her superior striking, landing a massive left hand in the opening exchange. Apodaca was able to take the shots early on, but ultimately her opponent showcased a skill gap that made her one of the biggest underdogs in Contender Series history.
Impressively, Apodaca made it through round one and actually ended the first round on top throwing ground and pound of her own. By the second, things looked a whole lot more even as Apodaca held her own when the pair went blow for blow.
Alex Apodaca gets the UD victory https://t.co/DwbbAix0Oy pic.twitter.com/zXaQoVcGHK— UFC (@ufc) August 26, 2026
As they headed into the third, Mir appeared to be struggling with her opponent’s ability to scramble. She was clearly hurt and wearing a bloody nose, and live odds on the broadcast actually shifted to favor the massive underdog Apodaca.
It was likely a round apiece heading into the third, and if it ended halfway through round three Apodaca may have scored the upset of all upsets. However, Mir managed to get to her back late in the round and seemed to have done enough.
Unfortunately for the Mir family, all three judges scored it 29-28 to the underdog and Mir was not awarded a UFC contract.
2026-08-26 02:06:33
