Alex Apodaca signed on to work Wednesday, as she always does.
The vibes that met her, however, were far from normal. Without much (if any) sleep and sporting a big shiner around her right eye, Apodaca (4-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was the center of attention – and rightfully so.
She admits there hasn't been a lot of sleep. Apodaca pulled off one of the biggest betting upsets in combat sports history Tuesday when she defeated Bella Mir on Dana White's Contender Series. After an all-nighter (and some margaritas and pizza), it was back to work.
"Everyone was so hyped," Apodaca told MMA Junkie on Thursday. "We didn't even talk about work. We didn't even talk about the fight. We talked about the press conference. We talked about so much fun stuff, rather than anything work-related. They're like, 'OK, set up a happy hour.' So we're going to set up a happy hour to celebrate Monday."
Still grinning from ear to ear, the serotonin boost hadn't appeared to wear off. While many others doubted her, Apodaca believed in herself – and that proved to be all that mattered.
"I don't think I can put that into words," Apodaca said. "It does feel like this has been worth it. I'd just been away from my family now for six years. When I moved to Denver, it was just like, 'I'm going to go for a little bit, and I'm going to go back to Texas soon.' Next thing you know, it's six years later, and I'm not getting to spend a lot of time with them. I think it, to them, has made it also more of a tangible thing. They can see the light now. I'm talking about my family. I think we can all see, 'OK, this is something bigger for her. We want her to chase her dream.' That feels really good."
Mir, the daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir, had all the hype, given her credentials as a standout wrestler and grappler. But Apodaca thought her experience and cage time would prove to be the difference – and she was right.
"I kept having a feel and said, 'If I sit on that stool between the first and second rounds, I can do it.' I just feel so confident in my ability to fight three full rounds, that I can kind of wear on people over time," Apodaca said. "I imagined that scenario where I was like, 'Get out of the first round. Feel her strength. Feel what the wrestling will feel like. OK, feel what her striking is like. Get her range, and then you can start piecing it together.'"
With the win, Apodaca gained not only a ton of attention from fans but also a UFC contract from Dana White. In the immediate aftermath, many chose to criticize Mir, with "fraud-check" comments flooding social media. However, Apodaca isn't one of those jumping to conclusions.
"She's a good fighter. What are we talking about?" Apodaca said. "Because I also think it's like, you're not giving me the credit by doing that. What if I'm just hard to fight? That's how I feel about that. People just want to have something to hate on, to be honest."
Apodaca was also subject of criticism – from Mir's mother of all people. Jennifer Mir commented on several trending social media posts, taking jabs at Apodaca. She later apologized. As is the case with most negativity, Apodaca let the criticism roll right off her.
"You know what's funny is I didn't even know that was happening until yesterday or last night," Apodaca said. "I was just kind of staying away from my phone because it was kind of overwhelming. I was in Vegas with my dad and some teammates, so I was like, 'Let me just hang out with these people and some teammates.' It didn't even affect me at all."
Turning the page on the Mir saga as she embarks on her UFC journey, Apodaca isn't gunning for the quick debut that some of the other breakthrough names this season have received. She's fine taking her time. But if that phone rings... you never know.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Alex Apodaca sees Bella Mir criticism as unfair, shrugs off Jennifer Mir comments
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