Bella Mir's DWCS upset draws an anti-women jibe from UFC champ Sean Strickland

Bella Mir's first professional MMA defeat has been a hot-button topic in the combat sports community. 

It's elicited a myriad of reactions from fans, fighters, and others. One such individual, who is himself a pro mixed martial arts competitor, has now weighed in on Mir's loss. The person in question is none other than polarizing UFC staple, the reigning UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland. 

Bella Mir's MMA setback has drawn an apparently anti-women jab from UFC champ Sean Strickland

Bella Mir made her highly anticipated DWCS (Dana White's Contender Series) debut, taking on Alex Apodaca in a women's bantamweight matchup. It was said to be one of the most talked-about debuts in the UFC-affiliated DWCS's history, what with UFC CEO and president Dana White also expressing his excitement about Mir bringing her talents to the show. 

Bella Mir -- the daughter of MMA legend and former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir -- boasts an incredible athletic background as an amateur wrestler with multiple titles to her name and a submission grappling savant as well. As such, she was a gargantuan favorite to beat Apodaca in their MMA showdown. 

Nevertheless, the 23-year-old ended up getting outworked and found herself on the wrong end of a unanimous decision verdict. The 32-year-old Apodaca improved her pro MMA record to 4-1 with the win. Meanwhile, Mir, who was 4-0 entering the match, suffered her first loss in the sport and now has a record of 4-1. Apodaca's victory earned her a UFC contract, whereas Mir missed out on that opportunity. 

Sean Strickland was among the many fight game personalities who chimed in with their opinions about Mir's loss, one that many deemed a monumental upset. Strickland seemed to take aim at Bella's father Frank Mir for serving as her coach. 

Taking to X, Strickland wrote, "Your dad shouldn't be your coach, your boyfriend shouldn't be your coach, your husband shouldn't be your coach." He added, "That should be the first rule of MMA." 

Your dad shouldn't be your coach, your boyfriend shouldn't be your coach, your husband shouldn't be your coach.

That should be the first rule of MMA

— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) August 27, 2026

In response to Strickland suggesting that a fighter's male relatives mustn't be their coach, an X user seemingly questioned whether he'd be fine with Bella's mother, Jennifer Mir, coaching her. 

Strickland, here, appeared to make a statement that many netizens believe is indicative of the UFC star's anti-women stance. The UFC middleweight kingpin wrote the following in response to the aforementioned X user: "Women can't be coaches." 

Woman cant be coaches.

— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) August 27, 2026

Bella Mir is undeterred in her quest for combat sports glory; Sean Strickland could be on a collision course with a familiar foe

Bella Mir's preceding fight witnessed her secure an impressive submission victory against Stephanie Calderon in their bantamweight clash at Fury Challenger Series 14 last July.

Some of her critics have warned that her admitted goals of wanting to achieve Olympic glory in wrestling, forge a successful submission grappling career, and attain MMA greatness by winning UFC championship gold aren't feasible together. Regardless, Mir has maintained her belief that multi-sport success awaits her. "Lady" also reassured her fans that she's bounced back from losses before and remains unfazed by her MMA setback. 

On the other hand, Sean Strickland, who's gained infamy in recent years -- over what many believe are his anti-women and generally bigoted socio-political assertions -- is aiming to return to the Octagon this December.

The American combatant is likely to defend his UFC middleweight belt in a rematch against former champion Khamzat Chimaev, a familiar foe whom he outpointed to become a two-time middleweight titlist back in May.