Bella Mir's Coach On Stunning DWCS Loss

Bella Mir's wrestling coach has broken his silence after the prospect's upset loss on Dana White's Contender Series Tuesday night.

Don McGregor, who has coached Mir since her high school wrestling days, posted to Instagram hours after she dropped a unanimous decision to Alex Apodaca. Mir entered the bout as one of the heaviest favorites in DWCS history but could not secure the UFC contract that had seemed inevitable just days earlier. "We win together, and we lose together," McGregor wrote, according to BJ Penn. "We have been here before, after losing in the national finals in HS and college. The messaging is always the same. We're not defined by our wins and losses, but by our character, our integrity, and the way we treat others in our lives."

What The Loss Means For Mir's UFC Path

The daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir had rattled off three consecutive first-round finishes before Tuesday's setback. Dana White told reporters after the event that he was shocked by her performance. The 23-year-old could still earn a second shot at a contract with more cage time, though she will need to rebuild momentum outside the promotion first.

Apodaca, meanwhile, joins the UFC's women's bantamweight division and becomes the latest addition to a roster in need of new names. Mir's team closed the Instagram post with a forward-looking line: "Your MMA career and legacy are just beginning."

Reported via:

• BJPenn — Bella Mir’s coach speaks on prospect’s shocking upset loss on Dana White’s Contender Series