Week 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series is scheduled for Tuesday, August 25 and takes place at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
This event is made up of five Main Card fights, featuring a Main Event between Bella Mir and Alex Apodaca in the UFC Women’s Bantamweight division.
For those that are unfamiliar with the Contender Series, it is an ongoing series event where rising prospects attempt to make an impression on Dana White, the CEO of the UFC.
Dana White's Contender Series: Week 3 betting picks and predictions
Bella Mir vs. Alex Apodaca - Fight to go the Distance - Yes
Our top pick for Week 3 of the Dana White Contender Series looks for the Main Event between Bella Mir and Alex Apodaca to go the distance.
Mir enters this fight with an MMA record of 4-0. She most recently beat Stephanie Calderon by submission back in July 2025.
Although her MMA career has been brief, Mir has already won three fights by submission, with one win coming by decision.
As for Apodaca, she enters this fight with an MMA record of 3-1. Her most recent MMA fight was a win against Devon McDonald by unanimous decision back in July 2026.
Like Mir, her MMA career has also been brief. To this point, Apodaca has three wins by decision and one loss by decision.
Mir is easily one of the biggest favorites on this fight card, but we will be looking for this fight to go the distance.
It is true that Mir has only seen one of her four MMA fights go the distance, but this was her most recent fight.
Further, Apodaca has never lost inside the distance and has proven to be able to absorb plenty of damage, so backing this fight to go the distance is our best bet.
Matchup Stats
Bella Mir | Alex Apodaca | |
4-0 | Record | 3-1 |
Win | Last Fight | Win |
5'7" | Height | 5'7" |
136lbs | Weight | 136lbs |
23 | Age | 32 |
Mario Piazzon vs. Guilherme Uriel - Fight to go the Distance - No
Our second pick for Week 3 of the Dana White Contender Series looks for the Co-Main Event between Mario Piazzon and Guilherme Uriel to end inside the distance.
Paizzon enters this fight with an MMA record of 12-1. His most recent MMA fight resulted in a win against Andre Vieira by unanimous decision back in March 2026.
He has been involved in some sort of MMA promotion since November 2021 and throughout his career he has won the majority of his fights by finish.
This includes eight wins by KO/TKO, one by Submission, one by Other (DQ), and one by Decision.
As for Uriel, he enters this fight with an MMA record of 7-2. His most recent fight resulted in a win against Leonardo Fraga by TKO back in March 2026.
Similar to Paizzon, Uriel has also seen the majority of his MMA fights end inside the distance. This includes four wins by KO/TKO and three wins by Submission.
Further, both of his career losses have come by KO/TKO.
Both Paizzon and Uriel have had prior experience in the Dana White Contender Series, with Paizzon having won his fight in 2023 by DQ, while Uriel lost his fight by TKO in 2025.
Given that, and the fact that they both have rarely seen one of their fights go the distance, backing this fight to end inside the distance is our play.
Matchup Stats
Mario Piazzon | Guilherme Uriel | |
12-1 | Record | 7-2 |
Win | Last Fight | Win |
5’11” | Height | 6’1” |
240lbs | Weight | 233lbs |
28 | Age | 29 |
Location, Date, Time
Location: UFC Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada
Date: Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM ET
How to Watch Dana White's Contender Series Week 3
Fans can stream the Dana White’s Contender Series Week 3 event on Paramount+.
Dana White's Contender Series Week 3 Fight Card
Fight | Weight Class |
Bella Mir vs. Alex Apodaca | Women's Bantamweight |
Mario Piazzon vs. Guilherme Uriel | Heavyweight |
Gary Balletto vs. Sean Clancy Jr. | Welterweight |
Ronald Humphrey vs. Alexis Miranda | Welterweight |
Carlos Petruzzella vs. Nick Galanti | Middleweight |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
