DWCS 10, Week 3 – Alex Apodaca produced one of the biggest upsets in Dana White’s Contender Series history on Tuesday night, defeating highly regarded prospect Bella Mir by unanimous decision at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
All three judges scored the women’s bantamweight main event 29 28 in Apodaca’s favor. The victory not only handed Mir her first professional defeat, but also earned Apodaca a UFC contract after a composed performance against one of the most heavily favored fighters in the history of the series.
The result capped an event that featured five fights and produced five UFC contract winners.
Apodaca Overcomes Huge Expectations
Mir entered the fight with significant attention surrounding her name and career. The 23 year old is the daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir and had built a reputation as a talented wrestler and submission specialist.
Apodaca entered with a very different level of expectation. She was viewed as a major underdog, yet she quickly showed that she was capable of competing with Mir in every area of the fight.
The official UFC results described Apodaca as a constantly changing target who switched stances and mixed her striking effectively. Her takedown defense also played a major role as she repeatedly prevented Mir from establishing the kind of grappling exchanges she wanted.
Apodaca’s ability to stay composed became increasingly important as the fight progressed.
Mir Struggles to Take Control
Mir had some success with her wrestling during the opening round. She secured a takedown late in the frame and briefly took Apodaca’s back.
However, Apodaca reversed the position and finished the round with punches, giving herself an important moment before the bell.
The second round followed a similar pattern. Mir attempted to close the distance and find another takedown, but Apodaca defended the attempt and continued to make the fight uncomfortable for her opponent.
Apodaca repeatedly used front kicks to the body while mixing them with punches. By the end of the second round, Mir was bleeding from her nose, while Apodaca continued to maintain her pace. MMAWeekly scored both of the opening rounds for Apodaca.
That striking output became one of the defining elements of the contest.
Apodaca Survives a Late Submission Threat
Mir entered the third round knowing she needed to make something happen.
She immediately looked for another takedown, but Apodaca defended the attempt. Mir continued pursuing the grappling exchanges and eventually managed to take Apodaca’s back during a scramble with around two minutes remaining.
This appeared to give Mir one final opportunity to change the direction of the fight.
Apodaca stayed calm, protected her neck and avoided the submission. The fight ended with Mir isolating one of Apodaca’s legs, but she could not find a decisive finish before the final horn.
After 15 minutes, the judges unanimously sided with Apodaca.
One of the Biggest Upsets in DWCS History
The scale of Apodaca’s victory became even clearer after the fight.
UFC’s official results confirmed that Apodaca entered as a massive underdog and closed the night with a unanimous decision victory. UFC reported that she was a +1200 underdog, making the result the biggest underdog victory in Contender Series history.
Other reports placed Mir among the most heavily favored fighters ever to compete on the show, making Apodaca’s performance even more significant.
The victory also secured Apodaca a place on the UFC roster.
Five Fighters Earn UFC Contracts
Apodaca was not the only fighter to leave Las Vegas with a contract.
Guilherme Uriel submitted Mario Piazzon with a standing guillotine choke in just 50 seconds of the opening round. Sean Clancy Jr. stopped Gary Balletto with punches in the second round, while Ronald Humphrey submitted Alexis Miranda with a rear naked choke.
Nick Galanti delivered the fastest finish of the night, knocking out Carlos Petruzzella after only 35 seconds of the first round. All five winners received UFC contracts.
The five finishes and Apodaca’s major upset made Week 3 one of the most consequential cards of the season.
DWCS Season 10, Week 3 Results
• Alex Apodaca def. Bella Mir via unanimous decision (29 28, 29 28, 29 28)
• Guilherme Uriel def. Mario Piazzon via submission, standing guillotine choke, 0:50 of Round 1
• Sean Clancy Jr. def. Gary Balletto via TKO, punches, 3:54 of Round 2
• Ronald Humphrey def. Alexis Miranda via submission, rear naked choke, 4:03 of Round 1
• Nick Galanti def. Carlos Petruzzella via knockout, punches, 0:35 of Round 1
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