Bella Mir loses UFC contract chance in biggest Contender Series upset 29-28

Alex Apodaca defeated Bella Mir 29-28 on all three judges’ scorecards in the main event of Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10, Week 3. The unanimous decision ended Mir’s unbeaten professional record and cost her the chance to earn a UFC contract from Dana White.

The result was described as the biggest upset in Contender Series history. Mir entered the bantamweight bout with a 4-0 record, including three first-round submission victories, while Apodaca produced the most significant win of her Contender Series appearance.

Mir struggled to impose her grappling early. Apodaca defended the takedown attempts and held the advantage in the striking exchanges for much of the opening minutes, preventing Mir from turning the fight into the submission contest she had appeared to seek.

After the first five minutes, Apodaca settled into the bout and became more effective. She lifted Mir during the exchanges, landed enough clean offence to bloody Mir’s nose and continued to make the undefeated fighter work through the remaining rounds.

The decision gave Apodaca a unanimous-decision victory after a technical performance over the full 15 minutes. Mir, the daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir, had been seeking to follow her early professional success with a place on the UFC roster.

The loss leaves Mir without the contract she was pursuing on the Contender Series, while Apodaca leaves the event with the result that defined the five-fight card’s headline bout.