Apodaca stuns -6000 favourite Bella Mir to seal UFC contract in biggest DWCS upset ever

Alex Apodaca (5-1) defeated Bella Mir (4-1) by unanimous decision at Dana White’s Contender Series 2026, Week 3, pulling off the largest upset in the show’s history and earning herself a UFC contract in the process. Mir, the daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir, had entered the bantamweight bout as a -6000 favourite — the shortest price ever recorded in DWCS — while Apodaca was listed at +1200.

The odds looked misplaced almost from the opening exchanges. Apodaca defended Mir’s first takedown attempt cleanly, and the fight developed into a highly competitive affair throughout. Apodaca seized control in the final round to secure all three judges’ scorecards, sending a clear message that the pre-fight market had badly misjudged the matchup.

Speaking in her post-fight interview, Apodaca said she had deliberately avoided checking the odds in the build-up to the contest. “I didn’t want to look at the odds before; I knew they were some bullsht,” she said. “I just truly believe if I stay present and in the moment that I can see everything and nobody is going to beat me. Cause I’m pretty technical, and I’m strong as fck.”

UFC CEO Dana White, who awarded Apodaca her contract on the night, acknowledged that he had gone into the fight with a personal bias toward Mir, having been involved in her combat sports career. His candour underscored just how unexpected the result was, even at the highest level of the organisation.

For Apodaca, the victory is a career-defining moment. Beating a fighter of Mir’s profile and pedigree — at odds that suggested the outcome was a near-certainty — and doing so convincingly enough to earn a unanimous decision puts her on the radar as one of the more intriguing newcomers entering the UFC’s bantamweight division.