Dana White calls unbeaten Bella Mir 'special' ahead of her UFC contract fight

Dana White has publicly endorsed Bella Mir as a generational talent, revealing he has been personally involved in the unbeaten prospect’s career for four years ahead of her UFC contract fight on Dana White’s Contender Series 2026 Week 3 on Aug. 25. The 23-year-old bantamweight, daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir, will headline the card against Alex Apodaca (3-1) with a UFC deal on the line.

“Yeah, I’m very excited about Bella,” White said at the DWCS 2026 Week 1 post-fight press conference. “I’ve been very involved in her life the last four years.”

Mir carries a perfect 4-0 record into the bout and has set herself an unusually broad set of ambitions. She has previously stated her goal of becoming the first UFC fighter to also compete at the Olympics, and White confirmed she has discussed targeting the 2028 Los Angeles Games alongside titles in the UFC, UFC BJJ, and Zuffa Boxing.

“Yeah, we’ve talked about it,” White added. “I mean, she presented that to me.”

White also disclosed that he actively encouraged Mir to attend college before turning professional, a decision he credits with accelerating her wrestling development. The UFC CEO noted that Mir would enter jiu-jitsu competitions during her college wrestling career and win them without having formally trained in the discipline.

“That was the goal, too, in college,” White said. “Not just for her to get an education but to break some college records. She would enter these jiu-jitsu competitions and win them — you know, while she was only wrestling, not even doing jiu-jitsu. So, she’s special.”

Mir’s fight against Apodaca is set to headline Contender Series Week 3, giving her a high-profile platform to make her case for a UFC roster spot. Should she secure the contract, she would join her father in the UFC record books — Frank Mir is a two-time UFC heavyweight champion and a long-time veteran of the promotion.