Bella Mir has missed out on a UFC contract after suffering one of the biggest shocks in MMA history by losing to Alex Apodaca.
Highly-rated prospect Mir, who is the daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank, went into the contest as an overwhelming favourite but was on the losing end of a unanimous decision.
All three judges on Dana White’s Contender Series – a show where winners of fights are often rewarded with UFC contracts – scored the contest 29-28 in American Apodaca’s favour.
Mir, 23, has said she wants to win a UFC championship, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu title, a Zuffa Boxing belt and an Olympic wrestling gold medal, but the loss puts a dent in the American’s ambitions.
After the fight, UFC president Dana White said the pre-fight betting odds, which had Mir as a massive favourite to win, were misplaced.
“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, was rewarded with a UFC contract following victory, while Mir suffered the first defeat of her five-fight professional MMA career.
Elsewhere, Scotland’s Sean Clancy Jr won a UFC contract after he stopped American Gary Balletto in the second round following a number of unanswered ground strikes.
The 23-year-old, who is the welterweight champion in UK-based promotion Cage Warriors, extended the unbeaten start to his career to nine.