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AIPROPX ReportYahoo Sports · 1h ago
Alex Apodaca motivated by Bella Mir hype: 'Let's rise to some occasions here
The public discussion is Bella Mir, Bella Mir, Bella Mir. But Alex Apodaca is OK with that – for now.
Apodaca (3-1) steps into a slot where much of the public discourse revolves completely around her Dana White's Contender Series opponent, but that's motivating to her. She's out to show the world she's not a token "other fighter." It excites her. It scares her. She's feeling all the feelings heading into Tuesday's battle at Meta APEX.
"It's fun, like, 'OK, let's go do this thing.' It's exciting, and it's scary, and it's all the fun things that fighting is," Apodaca recently told MMA Junkie. "I think fighting anybody is a threat. You just never know. The cage is the most crazy place. Really, anything can happen. That being said, her level of hype – that's fun and wild, and it gives me motivation to do well. Because I just get to go be main event at Contender Series? Casual. Everyone knows about Bella Mir. That's cool. I like it. It's like, let's rise to some occasions here."
Apodaca, 32, knew what she was signing up for. In fact, she raised her hand to fight Mir (4-0), the standout wrestler and daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir, when she caught wind of an opponent being needed.
"It's funny because actually I had just fought in Texas (on July 24)," Apodaca said. "I was fighting for Fury. Going into the fight, I had known of some girls possibly being offered Contender. I wasn't sure if I was on the line for it at all, but I knew winning the fight was a big deal. So I won the fight, and I'm literally walking down the stairs, and Eric (Garcia), the promoter, is like, 'Come here, Alex. Do you want me to put your name in the running for Contender? It's Bella Mir.' I was like, 'Yeah, let's do it.' That's when I got the news. It was like immediately after I had won my last fight, which was three weeks (ago)."
"... I knew the difficulty of it. I knew what I was up against. It was all right there. It was immediately after fighting. It was not like I had time to get fat or out of shape or really anything. I knew I was going to be in there soon, so I just stayed locked in as much as I could. Of course, I had some fun in New Orleans that night, but I just had to jump back in."
Originally from Austin, Texas, Apodaca's passion for combat sports stems from her father's love for MMA and the UFC. But it was bolstered by a chance encounter. Working as a door-to-door salesperson, Apodaca stumbled across the UFC Gym, and while making her pitch to the on-shift manager, a Ronda Rousey promotional ad on one of the TVs caught her eye.
Fast forward and Apodaca has relocated to Denver. Her entire life has revolved around the pursuit of UFC notoriety. She lives by herself, working a 9-5 desk job as a consultant, bookending training sessions at Tiger Beetle Martial Arts on either side, as she manages a double professional life. Tuesday marks the moment she's been waiting for.
"I've managed an insane schedule, that I don't think most people would be able to do, for like eight years now," Apodaca said. "In addition to fulfilling a dream, I also think I'd maybe be able to relieve some stress in a way – some day-to-day stress. It would change my life. On top of it, I live over here in Colorado by myself. My entire family lives in Texas. There's just been a lot of sacrifices. There are a lot of things I haven't gotten to be home for. I love my family dearly, and I'm very close with them, and I just feel like it'd mean so much to see this through because of all the things that have sacrificed."
Some sports books have her listed as a nine-to-one underdog. Others have her listed as 12-to-one. Apodaca knows the attention Mir is getting, but she's ready to show everyone she's a fighter worth hyping, too. To her, the outcome is in the MMA gods' hands. She's just ready to go out there and have some fun.
"I think that anybody has the grappling accolades that she did is definitely a threat there," Apodaca said. "I've said it before. I don't want to underestimate any piece of her game. At the end of the day, maybe something that is being overlooked is that this is mixed martial arts. Any striking, any of that, that goes. I don't think that she has that much more experience in that situation than I do. I think her grappling is definitely a threat, just like my striking is a threat. I think that will be a good fight. I think folks are maybe overlooking that fact a little bit. This isn't just a wrestling match or UFC BJJ."
"... I've seen a thousand different ways in my head. Without giving any ideas away. I just think at the end of the day, we have to give it to the fight gods a little bit. There's no black-and-white. It's a fight. Really, anything could happen."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Alex Apodaca motivated by Bella Mir hype: 'Let's rise to some occasions here'
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