Dana White expects Bella Mir to return stronger after Alex Apodaca handed the prospect her first professional MMA loss on Dana White’s Contender Series.
White acknowledged that he was personally invested in Mir’s appearance. He said he has been close to the daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir for more than four years and helped her think through a route that included college wrestling before a full move into MMA.
I didn’t struggle a little bit at all. I mean, I was extremely biased coming into tonight. I’ve been close to her for over four years. Four years ago, she came to me and wanted to sort of map out her future.
I’m the one that talked her into going to college and waiting—get a wrestling background in college, do some great things there, and then come here. You guys all heard what her goals were over the next several years.
White Says Mir Finally Experienced ‘Deep Water’
Apodaca survived Mir’s strong opening and took over as the fight became more demanding. White agreed with Michael Bisping’s assessment that experience under pressure separated the two fighters.
Bisping absolutely nailed it and said the difference in this fight is deep water. Bella’s never been there and Alex has.
White also rejected the enormous betting spread as a reliable measure of the matchup. He argued that inexperienced fighters on Contender Series should not be priced as if their abilities are already fully known.
If you’re a sports bettor, this is the greatest show in the world. You literally spread a couple grand across all the—you know, that fight right there would have paid for your whole year of gambling. Nobody in this sport is that big of an underdog ever.
‘She Will Be Back’
Mir lost the decision but was not stopped. White highlighted her response under pressure as the part of the result she can use in her development.
She is young enough to come back and she’s obviously a very driven young woman, so she will be back.
She didn’t have deep water experience, and now she does. She didn’t fold. She didn’t get stopped. She didn’t quit. This is all part of the game.
The reaction follows MiddleEasy’s coverage of Apodaca’s upset and UFC contract, White’s account of Mir’s four-title ambitions, and the original Contender Series booking.
