Bella Mir suffers shock defeat, misses out UFC contract

LAS VEGAS: Bella Mir suffered one of the biggest upsets in MMA after the highly-rated American prospect was beaten by Alex Apodaca on Dana White’s Contender Series here at the Meta APEX (UFC APEX) on Tuesday.

Mir entered the bout as a heavy favourite but was beaten by unanimous decision. All three judges scored the contest 29-28 in favour of Apodaca, who secured a UFC contract with her victory.

The defeat was the first of Mir’s five-fight professional MMA career and dealt a blow to the 23-year-old’s ambitious plans.

Mir has previously outlined her desire to become a UFC champion, win a Brazilian jiu-jitsu world title, claim a Zuffa Boxing belt and earn an Olympic wrestling gold medal.

UFC president Dana White questioned the pre-fight betting odds, which had made Mir a significant favourite.

"You can't have those kind of underdogs on this show. Anything is possible, and if the Bella Mir fight didn't just prove it - the odds were way out of whack," said White.

"This sport's too crazy to be that big of an underdog."

Apodaca, 32, produced a disciplined performance to secure the biggest win of her career and earn her place in the UFC.

Elsewhere, Scotland’s Sean Clancy Jr also earned a UFC contract after stopping American Gary Balletto in the second round following a series of unanswered ground strikes.

The 23-year-old, who holds the welterweight title with UK promotion Cage Warriors, extended his unbeaten professional record to nine fights.