‘She Didn’t Quit’: Dana White Breaks Silence After Bella Mir Suffers Historic Contender Series Upset

The UFC CEO has led around 10 seasons of Dana White's Contender Series, but has never had a personal stake. But this time it was former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir’s daughter. 

Bella Mir entered as a -6000 betting favorite against Alex Apodaca on 25 August at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, the biggest favorite in Contender Series history. However, she suffered her pro-MMA career’s first loss, and White witnessed someone close to him lose up close. 

Dana White Reacts to Bella Mir’s Loss

When asked about his personal view on the Bella Mir fight in the post-fight press conference, White said, "I was extremely biased coming into tonight. I've been close to her for over four years. Four years ago she came to me and wanted to sort of map out her future. I'm the one that talked her into going to college… do some great things there and then come here."

However, he didn’t let that one loss define Mir’s career. "She didn't fold, she didn't get stopped, she didn't quit. This is all part of the game…This is a wake-up call…I'm not as dominant as I thought I was going to be, and I've got a lot of things to work on," White said. 

Now, the UFC boss has not written her off; he simply believes Mir has not tested the deep waters yet, but Alex has. He also mentioned Jon Jones' history, notably the Gustafsson bout, in which Jones was tested yet emerged victorious. He feels that for a highly touted prospect, a defeat might be beneficial in the long term. 

What Happened in the Bella Mir Fight?

The 23-year-old Bella Mir entered the fight undefeated at 4-0. In recent UFC history, she was the most hyped prospect going into the fight. 

Alex Apodaca, however, turned the tables; she stuffed Mir’s takedown from the start and kept the momentum for the whole fight. She bloodied Mir’s nose in the second round. She steadily controlled a prospect who was expected to make her look ordinary. 

Apodaca, after a three-round battle, received a nod from all three judges. She won by unanimous decision, with all the judges scoring it 29-28. With this win, she improved to 4-1 and earned a UFC contract.