Bella Mir Eyes UFC History on Contender Series With 4-0 Start

The third week of Dana White's Contender Series Season 10 lands Tuesday at the Meta APEX, and it's finally getting a women's fight. Through two weeks, 10 contracts have gone out across nearly every men's division, but bantamweight and the entire women's roster have been shut out — largely because nobody at 135 had fought yet. That changes with Bella Mir, 4-0 as a pro and riding three consecutive first-round submissions, closing the show against fellow American Alex Apodaca.

Mir isn't a typical prospect. The 23-year-old daughter of former UFC heavyweight champ Frank Mir has spent the last year stacking accolades in multiple sports: a No-Gi world title at purple belt, a Division I national wrestling championship at North Central College, and a couple of wins under the UFC BJJ banner. A win Tuesday would do more than earn a contract — it'd set up the first father-daughter combo ever to compete in the UFC.

Apodaca Isn't a Layup

The other side of the cage has plenty going for her. Apodaca, out of Denver, dropped her pro debut in early 2024 but has reeled off three straight unanimous decisions since. Training in the Mile High City means access to a deep pool of high-level gyms and talent, so expect her to arrive prepared and unbothered by the hype train parked in the other corner.

That's the intrigue here. Expectations on Mir are sky-high, and she's cleared every bar she's set for herself so far, mostly by finishing people early. Apodaca's decision-heavy resume suggests durability and a willingness to grind through rounds — exactly the kind of test that reveals whether a submission specialist can win when the finish doesn't come.

Two Heavyweights Get a Second Look

Above the co-main, Brazilian heavyweights Mario Piazzon and Guilherme Uriel both return after mixed first trips through the series. Piazzon, 28, took a Week 8 win by disqualification back in Season 7 while controlling the grappling exchanges, and has gone 3-1 with two finishes since. Uriel ran into a wall named Josh Hokit last season — the same Hokit who's since climbed to No. 4 in the UFC heavyweight rankings at a spotless 10-0 with six knockouts. Uriel rebounded with a first-round stoppage in March and gets another crack Tuesday.

Heavyweight scarcity always tilts the odds slightly in a prospect's favor, and returning contestants are 4-2 on the season. In the middle of the card, New England's Gary Balletto (11-3, on a four-fight MMA win streak plus a 3-0 run in BKFC with three stoppages) meets unbeaten Scotsman Sean Clancy Jr. at welterweight. But make no mistake — the eyes Tuesday night are on Mir, and whether the family name gets a second UFC chapter.