Apodaca Stuns Bella Mir In Historic DWCS Upset

Alex Apodaca pulled off the biggest upset in Dana White's Contender Series history Tuesday night, defeating Bella Mir by unanimous decision despite closing as a massive underdog.

Apodaca outstruck Mir on the feet and held her own in grappling exchanges to earn the win at Meta Apex in Las Vegas, per Sherdog. Mir, daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir, entered the bantamweight bout as a -6000 favorite.

White Admits Bias Toward Mir After Upset

White revealed he had been unusually invested in the outcome, having mentored Mir for four years. "I'm very proud of myself that in 10 years of doing this, I've never had any bias," White said while awarding Apodaca a contract. "I don't know anything about anybody coming in. I was overly biased in this fight. I've known Bella for a long time. Four years ago we started mapping out her plan and who she was gonna be."

White credited analyst Michael Bisping for calling the upset, noting Bisping had predicted Apodaca's cage experience would prove decisive. "Michael Bisping said, 'She might be the biggest underdog in Contender Series history, but she has the experience that Bella doesn't: Deep waters.' Bisping nailed it on the head."

All five winners on the card received UFC contracts. Nick Galanti stopped Carlos Petruzzella in 35 seconds with ground strikes. Ronald Humphrey forced Alexis Miranda to tap to a rear-naked choke in the opening frame. Sean Clancy Jr. stopped Gary Balletto Jr. with second-round elbows, while Guilherme Uriel needed just 50 seconds to secure a guillotine finish of Mario Piazzon.

DWCS returns next Tuesday for Week 4 of its 10th season.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Bella Mir stunned in historic DWCS upset as Dana White awards five contracts