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Bella Mir targets UFC title, Olympic gold and a legacy as the greatest athlete of all time

Frank Mir's daughter Bella, 23, is preparing for her Contender Series main event debut while simultaneously chasing a spot at the World Wrestling Championships — and she has Dana White's backing to pursue UFC gold and Olympic glory simultaneously.

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Bella Mir targets UFC title, Olympic gold and a legacy as the greatest athlete of all time
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Bella Mir is stepping into the Contender Series main event just one day from now, but the 23-year-old is already mapping out a career that stretches far beyond a single UFC contract. The daughter of multi-time UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir has set her sights on becoming UFC champion, UFC BJJ champion, Zuffa Boxing champion, and Olympic gold medalist — ambitions UFC CEO Dana White has publicly endorsed.

One month after her Contender Series appearance, Mir is scheduled to face 2024 Olympic silver medalist Kennedy Blades for a chance to represent the United States at the World Wrestling Championships in Kazakhstan. The bout arrives just months after Mir claimed the NCAA 145-pound title in her final season as a senior at North Central College — a run that made her the first athlete the UFC signed to a NIL deal while still in college.

“I just tell everyone why not?” Mir told MMA Fighting. “Like why not me? If I’m already at a high level of wrestling and jiu-jitsu and about to be MMA right now, why not keep taking up steps until we’re the best in the world? I don’t want to just go for world titles. I want to go for a legacy. I want to be legendary.”

Her stated ambition goes further still. “I don’t even want to be the best MMA fighter, or the best combat athlete. I want to be the best athlete of all time.”

The dual-sport path Mir is attempting is largely uncharted in MMA. Henry Cejudo won Olympic gold in wrestling in 2008, but only committed fully to fighting after failing to make the U.S. team in 2012. Bo Nickal similarly shelved wrestling after falling short of the 2020 Olympic squad before building his UFC career. Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson has floated the idea of competing at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, but his deepening UFC commitments make that uncertain.

Mir, by contrast, is not waiting. With the 2028 Olympics on the horizon, she says she intends to remain active in wrestling while joining the UFC roster — and that White and the promotion are prepared to accommodate her pursuit of Olympic gold even if it requires pausing her fighting career.

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