Alex Apodaca Lays Down Cover Fire for Bella Mir After Pulling Off Historic DWCS Upset
Alex Apodaca scored an upset last week on DWCS, but doesn't like how fans have made the fallout from the fight about Bella Mir's loss.
The odds were overwhelmingly stacked against her. Bookmakers had Bella Mir at -6000 as a massive favorite over Alex Apodaca. Once the cage door closed, Apodaca proved to be the better fighter, pulling off a stunning upset over Dana White’s prodigy at DWCS 89.
The aftermath was far less kind to the young Mir. Fans were quick to dismiss her as “all hype and no substance,” but as it turns out, “Lady” Mir has found an unlikely defender in the very woman who just handed her the biggest upset of her career, Apodaca.
Alex Apodaca Refuses to Let Bella Mir’s Critics Take Away From Upset
It would have been easy for Apodaca to pile on. After all, the 32-year-old had just walked into the biggest underdog spot in Contender Series history and walked out with a UFC contract. Her opponent, Mir, meanwhile, had entered the fight carrying plenty of expectations.
Courtesy of her last name, her close association with UFC head honcho Dana White, and obviously her collegiate wrestling credentials, the young Mir had brought in plenty of eyeballs.
Subsequently, by the time she arrived on the Contender Series, the expectations were enormous. She was installed at -6000, making her the biggest women's betting favorite in Contender Series history. Apodaca, on the other hand, was widely viewed as the woman brought in to help Mir punch her ticket to the UFC.
Instead, the Texan flipped the script. The older fighter weathered the young fighter’s grappling onslaught and delivered a strong performance over three rounds, ultimately earning her a unanimous decision. While she has every reason to celebrate her own performance, Apodaca isn't interested in seeing Mir's reputation get dragged through the mud as a consequence.
Alex Apodaca Not a Fan of Negativity Toward Bella Mir
In fact, she believes doing so would cheapen her own achievement.
“The only thing that bothered me about that is, like, she is a good fighter, and when you’re saying that kind of thing, it’s like, well, that means that I’m not,” Apodaca told Ariel Helwani during a recent exclusive.
She added, “Like, maybe I just did a good job. If you’re not giving her credit, you’re not giving me credit. That’s how I kind of feel about that.”
In essence, Apodaca is saying that Mir being a legitimate prospect makes her own victory that much more meaningful. And she has seen firsthand why Mir deserved the hype.
Apodaca Drops UFC Debut Timeline
Apodaca's reward for slaying the biggest favorite in Contender Series history was more than bragging rights. The UFC CEO handed her a UFC contract, opening the door to the biggest stage of her career.
For the veteran bantamweight, who has been chasing that opportunity for years, it’s a dream come true. That said, she knows she can't simply rush into the Octagon because the UFC contract is finally in hand.
After five consecutive fight camps, Apodaca admits her body could use a breather. When asked about her UFC debut, She said, “I was thinking like maybe the end of the year, beginning of next because I’ve been through five fight camps. So, I’m like pretty beat up a little in some ways. I just need some rest. I’ve been cutting weight or training my a** off for like a year now.”
That doesn't exactly mean Apodaca plans to disappear from the gym. She simply wants to give her body some much-needed time to recover before beginning the big UFC chapter.
The timeline would put Apodaca's UFC debut somewhere toward the end of 2026 or early 2027, although nothing has been officially booked yet.
