{"id":259619,"date":"2026-08-26T08:50:57","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T08:50:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/26\/holy-fraud-check-mma-stars-react-to-bella-mirs-shocking-upset-at-dana-whites-contender-series\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T08:50:57","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T08:50:57","slug":"holy-fraud-check-mma-stars-react-to-bella-mirs-shocking-upset-at-dana-whites-contender-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/26\/holy-fraud-check-mma-stars-react-to-bella-mirs-shocking-upset-at-dana-whites-contender-series\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Holy fraud check&#8221; &#8211; MMA stars react to Bella Mir&#8217;s shocking upset at Dana White&#8217;s Contender Series"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-content\" data-postid=\"5209415\" data-slug-id=\"2827717\">\n<div class=\"vidazoo-player-container\">\n<span class=\"vidazoo-close-btn  hidden \"><br \/>\n<img data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/cmc-predictor\/v2\/cross-icon.png?w=40\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"close\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Expectations can be a double-edged sword. Bella Mir is now facing the dark side of her prodigious hype, with numerous MMA stars reacting to her loss to Alex Apodaca at Dana White&#8217;s Contender Series.<\/p>\n<p>Bella, the daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir, had already made waves in the wrestling and submission grappling scenes ahead of her DWCS appearance. Furthermore, Mir entered the bout as a massive betting favorite at several sportsbooks.<\/p>\n<p>In the fight, however, Apodaca showcased excellent defensive grappling, stuffing Mir&#8217;s repeated takedown attempts before controlling the bout with precise striking to earn a unanimous decision victory.<\/p>\n<p>During the week three DWCS post-fight press conference, UFC CEO <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/player\/dana-white\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Dana White<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/mma\/news-i-extremely-biased-dana-white-admits-heartbreak-bella-mir-s-contender-series-upset\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">expressed his disappointment<\/a> over Mir&#8217;s loss while also sharing a reassuring message about the 23-year-old&#8217;s future.<\/p>\n<p><template id=\"also-read-articles-template\"><\/p>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<div class=\"bottom-tagline top\" data-tab=\"top\">\n<p>Get the latest updates on One Championship <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/mma\/one-championship-rankings\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\" class=\"bottom_tagline_link\" data-tab=\"top\">Rankings<\/a> at Sportskeeda and more<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Nevertheless, not everyone in the MMA community has been as kind to Mir, with many mixed martial artists sharing their unfiltered and at times harsh thoughts about the youngster&#8217;s performance.<\/p>\n<p>Former UFC fighter Jeff Molina wrote:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Holy fraud check. Let\u2019s see those Apodaca tickets.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>UFC women&#8217;s bantamweight Yana Santos chimed in:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Omg. For the last few days, my entire timeline has been filled with people saying Bella Mir was going to dominate our bantamweight division.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Zac Pauga wrote:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;I\u2019m not hating on Bella; being delusional is necessary for doing anything great in life, but maybe Frank can tell her to chill on talking about winning an Olympic gold medal and UFC title before she takes some real fights.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Check out a few more reactions below:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image\"><noscript><\/noscript><img class=\"lazy-img\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1200\" data-img=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/08\/7368a-17877238206362-1920.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/08\/7368a-17877238206362-1920.jpg?w=190 190w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/08\/7368a-17877238206362-1920.jpg?w=720 720w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/08\/7368a-17877238206362-1920.jpg?w=640 640w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/08\/7368a-17877238206362-1920.jpg?w=1045 1045w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/08\/7368a-17877238206362-1920.jpg?w=1200 1200w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/08\/7368a-17877238206362-1920.jpg?w=1460 1460w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/08\/7368a-17877238206362-1920.jpg?w=1600 1600w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/08\/7368a-17877238206362-1920.jpg 1920w\" alt=\"Screenshots courtesy: X\" data-img-low=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/08\/7368a-17877238206362-1920.jpg?w=640\" bad-src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,&lt;svg%20xmlns=%22http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%201920%201200%22&gt;&lt;\/svg&gt;\"\/><figcaption>Screenshots courtesy: X<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<hr\/>\n<h2>Alex Apodaca talks turning point in her fight with Bella Mir<\/h2>\n<p>It appears there was a specific moment in her Dana White&#8217;s Contender Series bout against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/mma\/who-bella-mir-the-17-year-old-rising-star-following-footsteps-ufc-legend-father\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Bella Mir<\/a> when Alex Apodaca realized that she had the fight in the bag.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking to the media during the <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/-ihaLD3I0vw?si=qWa_k9gmMgyZ0YBQ&amp;t=144\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">event&#8217;s post-fight press conference<\/a>, Apodaca revealed that ending the first round on top made her realize she had the upper hand:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Yeah, the end of the first round when I ended up on top, [I knew I was gonna win]. I knew it then. I could feel that [she was defeated after that]. I could also tell, like, she hadn&#8217;t been in the second round and third round much. And that&#8217;s where I live, so I was fine with it.&#8221; [2:26 mark of the interview]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"article-post-rating-widget\">\n<p><template id=\"post-rating-feedback-modal-template\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-feedback-box\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-content\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-data\">\n<p>Why did you not like this content?<\/p>\n<p><textarea id=\"dislike-feedback-text\" rows=\"4\" placeholder=\"Please type your feedback...\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<button class=\"close\">Cancel<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"submit\">Submit<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-widget-parent hidden\">\n<div class=\"rating-parent-container\">\n<div class=\"rating-content-holder\">\n<p>Was this article helpful?<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-action-container\">\n<div class=\"like-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-like-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"like\" title=\"like article\"><br \/>\n<img class=\"post-like-image post-rating-image\" data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"like selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dislike-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-dislike-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"dislike\" title=\"dislike article\"><br \/>\n<img class=\"post-dis-like-image post-rating-image\" data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"avatar selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\nThank You for feedback\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tag-cloud\">\n<div class=\"tags-text\">\n<div class=\"scrollable-content-holder  article-padding\">\n<p class=\"article-p  \">Quick Links<\/p>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerLeft\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Left \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img style=\"background: none;\" data-lazy=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-left.svg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button><\/p>\n<nav id=\"pnProductNav\" class=\"pn-ProductNav\">\n<\/nav>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerRight\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Right \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img style=\"background: none;\" data-lazy=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-right.svg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<p>More from Sportskeeda<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<span class=\"publisher-name\">Edited by Ujwal Jain<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/mma\/news-holy-fraud-check-mma-stars-react-bella-mir-s-shocking-upset-dana-white-s-contender-series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Expectations can be a double-edged sword. Bella Mir is now facing the dark side of her prodigious hype, with numerous MMA stars reacting to her loss to Alex Apodaca at Dana White&#8217;s Contender Series. Bella, the daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir, had already made waves in the wrestling and submission grappling scenes [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":259620,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6806],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-259619","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gossip"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=259619"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259619\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/259620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=259619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=259619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=259619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}