Alex Apodaca recorded the biggest upset in Contender Series history Tuesday when she shocked 23-year-old Bella Mir at Meta Apex in Las Vegas.
Oddsmakers listed Mir (4-1), the daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir, as high as a minus-6000 betting favorite. But Apodaca (4-1) was not intimidated in the slightest. She defended five of Mir's seven takedown attempts and bloodied her rival's nose with jabs and kicks en route to unanimous 29-28 judges' scores.
"I didn't want to look at the odds before [the fight], but I knew it was some bulls---," Apodaca said. "I just truly believe if I stay present and in the moment, I can see everything and nobody is going to beat me. I'm pretty technical, and I'm strong as f---."
Mir was one of the biggest draws of the entire 10th season of Contender Series. She is a decorated grappler in wrestling and jiu-jitsu, and she grew up in Las Vegas around the sport. In January 2023, White and the UFC made her the first UFC-signed NIL athlete in the promotion's history.
White admitted he was personally invested in the bout, having known Mir since she was a child. He warmly congratulated Apodaca on the victory, however, and rewarded her a UFC contract.
"What you had to face tonight," White told Apodaca. "I'm very proud of myself that in 10 years of doing this, I have never had any bias, I know nothing about anybody coming in -- I was overly biased [tonight]. I've known Bella for a long time. Four years ago, we started mapping out her plan. Unbelievable upset. Congratulations, you're in the UFC."
Originally from Texas, Apodaca, 32, trains out of Denver. She impressively shut down Mir's wrestling, even reversing position on her in the opening round and landing her own ground strikes. She began to run away with the fight in the second and third rounds, out-landing Mir in total strikes 63-to-37. All four of her wins have come via decision at bantamweight.
