LAS VEGAS – Dana White expected big things from Bella Mir on Tuesday at Dana White's Contender Series 89, but instead she came out on the wrong side of history.
Blue-chip women's MMA prospect Mir, the daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir, was the highest betting favorite in Contender Series history at -6000 against Alex Apodaca in the featured bout at Meta APEX. It was clear early on that Apodaca (4-1) was there to not only give Mir (4-1) a fight but also win, and she did just that by taking a unanimous decision after three hard-fought rounds.
During the DWCS 89 post-fight news conference, White didn't hide his feelings about the major upset after helping guide Mir to this point in her young career.
"I didn't struggle a little
bit. I was extremely biased coming into tonight," White told MMA Junkie and other reporters. "I've been close to her for over four years. Four years ago, she came to me, and she 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."
Although potentially surprised by the result, White said he's also not shocked. He sees DWCS as a breeding ground for upsets and surprises, and given the comparable MMA experience between Mir and Apodaca, he said the odds were way out of whack.
"Nobody in this sport is that big of an underdog – ever," White said. "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. To come in and just go undefeated, it's very hard to do in this sport. That's why when it's done – it's why we always talk about Jon Jones. He's undefeated (except for a disqualification loss).
"It doesn't matter what the odds are or what anybody thinks or who I like or don't like or any of that shit. We're the bells-and-whistles people, and you either come in and you win, or you lose. That's on you."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dana White reacts to Bella Mir's stunning loss: 'I was extremely bias'
