Contender Series 89: Bella Mir Falls in Shocking Upset, Five Fighters Earn UFC Contracts
LAS VEGAS – Dana White's Contender Series returned for its third week of Season 10 on Tuesday night at the Meta Apex, delivering a night of decisive finishes and a headline-grabbing upset. In the women's bantamweight main event, Alex Apodaca defeated Bella Mir, the daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir, via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). The loss marked the first of Mir's professional career and came despite her entering as a heavy favorite.
Mir, 23, was widely expected to dominate Apodaca after securing a UFC contract. According to multiple reports, Mir was listed as a -6000 favorite at the time of the fight, with some outlets describing her odds as ranging from -2000 to -3000. Apodaca, meanwhile, was characterized as a massive underdog, with reported lines of +1200 and +1500. The discrepancy in odds did not translate to the cage, as Apodaca controlled the action from the outset.
Apodaca, a 32-year-old from Austin, Texas, stuffed several of Mir's takedown attempts and bloodied her nose during the bout. According to fight statistics, Apodaca outlanded Mir 48-30 in significant strikes and 66-33 in total strikes. Mir, an accomplished collegiate wrestler who won the 2026 NCAA 145-pound title, completed just one of six takedown attempts.
"That's crazy, I didn't look at the odds before, I knew it was bullshit," Apodaca said after the fight. "I just truly believe that if I stay present and in the moment that nobody's going to beat me because I'm technical and I'm strong."
UFC president Dana White, who was cageside for the event, was impressed enough by Apodaca's performance to award her a UFC contract. White later acknowledged that he had entered the fight with a bias toward Mir due to his relationship with her family, but said Apodaca's efforts earned her the deal.
The main event was the final fight of a card that saw all five bouts end in finishes. In addition to Apodaca, the other four winners—Guilherme Uriel, Sean Clancy Jr., Ronald Humphrey, and Nick Galanti—also received contracts from White.
Guilherme Uriel, 29, needed just 50 seconds to submit Mario Piazzon via standing guillotine choke in a heavyweight bout. Uriel, who improved to 8-2, had previously lost to Josh Hokit in the 2025 Contender Series season and was emotional after securing his first UFC contract. Piazzon, who fell to 10-2, shot for a takedown early, but Uriel grabbed his neck and forced the tap.
Sean Clancy Jr. remained undefeated with a second-round TKO victory over Gary Belletto Jr. The fight was a slower-paced affair in the first round, but Clancy took control on the ground in the second and finished the bout at 3:54.
Ronald Humphrey submitted Alexis Miranda via rear-naked choke at 4:03 of the first round in a welterweight bout. The two exchanged strikes on the feet before Humphrey landed several significant shots and transitioned to the submission.
In the opening fight of the night, Nick Galanti knocked out Carlos Petruzzella just 35 seconds into the first round. Galanti, who employed a clinch-heavy approach early, landed a massive right hand that dropped Petruzzella and finished with ground-and-pound.
With the five contracts awarded on Tuesday, White has now signed 15 fighters in the first three weeks of Season 10 of the Contender Series.