“Lady” Mir will be back.
Heavily-hyped super prospect, Bella Mir, suffered a massive upset loss to Alex Apodaca on Tuesday night (Aug. 25, 2026), dropping a unanimous decision in the main event of Week 3 of Season 10 of Contender Series inside Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Mir entered the fight as the biggest betting favorite in Contender Series history; however, Apodaca shut down her wrestling and handed the daughter of former UFC Heavyweight champion, Frank Mir, her first professional mixed martial arts (MMA) loss.
One day after the stunning defeat, Mir issued a thoughtful statement about the setback.
“I’ve lost so many times. Big or small, each loss carries me into a different mindset and learning experience to become a better athlete,” Mir wrote. “I have overcome every single obstacle in my life, and I will overcome this one. Now, it’s just a bit different because this loss is more famous than all my other losses. Thank you so much to everyone sending me love and encouragement. And I promise all of you that it takes way more than hate and one single loss in my MMA career to break me.
“I want to thank my team, my family, my fans and Dana for getting me here and further. I also want to thank Alex for taking this fight. All respect to her.”
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“Every time I lose, I come back and win something bigger and better. No loss has ever defined me, and neither will this one. And how cool is it to do what I love on such a big platform? Literally living my dream!!”
“Next Best Thing.”
Mir (4-1) had her four-fight win streak snapped, a run that included three first round submissions (watch highlights).
In 2023, UFC signed Mir as the promotion’s first NIL ambassador while she was still competing in college wrestling. She eventually capped off her collegiate career by capturing the inaugural NCAA women’s national championship at 145 pounds (watch highlights).
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The loss delayed Mir’s UFC arrival, but it hardly ended her path to the promotion. At just 23 years old, she has plenty of time to address the weaknesses Apodaca exposed and earn another opportunity.
The hype surrounding Mir took a massive hit Tuesday night. Her confidence clearly did not.
