Bella Mir On Famous Contender Series Loss

Bella Mir addressed her stunning upset defeat at UFC Contender Series one day after Alex Apodaca handed her a first professional loss.

Mir dropped a unanimous decision in the main event of Week 3 of Season 10 on Tuesday night inside Meta Apex in Las Vegas, per MMA Mania. The daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir had entered the bout as the biggest betting favorite in Contender Series history, but Apodaca shut down her wrestling over three rounds.

Mir Vows To Overcome First MMA Setback

The 23-year-old posted a statement Wednesday acknowledging the scale of the loss. "I've lost so many times. Big or small, each loss carries me into a different mindset and learning experience to become a better athlete," she wrote, per the report. "I have overcome every single obstacle in my life, and I will overcome this one. Now, it's just a bit different because this loss is more famous than all my other losses."

Mir thanked her team, family, and UFC president Dana White for the opportunity and extended respect to Apodaca for taking the fight. She noted that every setback in her career has preceded a bigger comeback.

The defeat snapped a four-fight win streak for Mir that included three first-round submissions. UFC signed her as the promotion's first NIL ambassador in 2023 while she competed in college wrestling, and she capped her collegiate run by winning the inaugural NCAA women's national championship at 145 pounds. The loss delays her UFC arrival but leaves her path to the promotion intact at a young age.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — ‘Unbreakable’ Bella Mir issues thoughtful reaction to ‘famous’ Contender Series loss – ‘I will overcome this’