Bella Mir might be one of the busiest 22 year old athletes in the world.
After scoring a win at UFC BJJ 1in June, her fourth professional fight is set for Fury Challenger Series 14 on Sunday as she returns to MMA for the first time in over three years. Her absence from fighting wasn’t self-chosen but rather a necessity as she figured out her future in wrestling after starting out in the powerhouse program at Iowa but nearly gave up the sport due to injuries.
“When I went to college, the agreement was fight over the summer and then wrestle throughout the year,” Mir told MMA Fighting. “But my first year in college, went to Junior Worlds and I was having some conflict of interest with my old coaches with fighting and training other disciplines other than wrestling. So I transferred to North Central [College] and they absolutely loved and wanted me to fight and do jiu-jitsu and compete in the other two sports.
“But last year, I actually was trying to get a fight. It was really hard for opponents and planning and dates and just trying to get it scheduled. So I actually was planning on having a fight last year. I was training all summer. I went to jiu-jitsu nationals and I was training but it was hard to get an opponent. Finally this year things lined up and I’m thankful for [my opponent] accepting the fight.”
The University of Iowa boasts one of the most successful women’s wrestling programs in the country with 2024 Olympic silver medalist Kennedy Blades also on that team. Mir found success at Iowa but she also felt like her body was betraying her with multiple injuries that just kept her sidelined for too long.
She was nearly ready to give up wrestling and just focus on other combat sports but she decided to transfer to a new school — another standout college for women’s wrestlers — and that paid off huge.
“The main reason [I left Iowa] for sure was my injuries and having to deal with that all year,” Mir said. “I feel like for me when I see the bigger picture, I’m like I’m not just wrestling in college for four years and then going and having a normal job or just wrestling senior level tournaments internationally.
“I’m going and still doing all three [sports] as far as I can and MMA/UFC has always been my main goal. I need my body for that.”
Mir actually turned to UFC CEO Dana White for advice after he signed her as the first ever athlete to do a name, image and likeness rights deal with the promotion. Of course, she’s almost been part of the UFC family since birth thanks to her father Frank Mir, who is a two-time heavyweight champion and spent 15 years fighting there.
She credits White with convincing her to give college wrestling another try.
“I talked with my coaches and Dana White, I have meetings with him a lot, and he kind of was just like ‘why don’t we transfer, let’s just see if you need a different environment or maybe it’s your body and you’re not meant for wrestling anymore,’” Mir revealed. “I was like that’s pretty fair.
“So I transferred and never got another injury. I think it was my environment and the training. Not every school is for every person. Iowa is a great place. The fans, the girls, the teammates, the atmosphere, Iowa’s great. It’s a Division I powerhouse and it just wasn’t the place for me and North Central is a way better fit.”
Mir finished second at 145 pounds at the 2025 NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships in her first year at North Central and that’s only serving as motivation for her future endeavors.
She’s obviously going back to college but Mir also has her sights set on 2028 when the Olympic games land in Los Angeles. The chance to represent America on the biggest stage in athletics with the Olympics in the United States is a dream come true, which is why Mir is keeping wrestling at the forefront of her mind for the next few years.
“Going to the Olympic trials and making that team, I feel like you wrestle at any level, whose dream is it not to go to the Olympics and go represent America on their back and their chest?” Mir said. “Of course, that is my goal. Making senior level teams and winning world medals for wrestling. That’s always been my goal. I’ve always wanted to just be the best I could be for wrestling and have those checkmarks across all of my goals for wrestling. That’s definitely my main focus right now is wrestling.”
That said, Mir is still practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu a few times per week and she’s continuing to train in MMA as well during the wrestling offseason, which is how this upcoming fight got scheduled.
“Wrestling is my priority right now,” Mir said. “My next event isn’t until Oct. 20-26 in Serbia for U23 Worlds so I’m going to take advantage of all this time and I’m going to compete in as much MMA and jiu-jitsu as I can and train and spar as much as I can.
“Obviously, I still train wrestling. I’m still doing freestyle because I don’t want to lose that for October and obviously my goal is for 2028 but no definitely wrestling is for sure my No. 1 [sport] for now because I feel like when I’m older, I’m not going to want to wrestle anymore because wrestling is so hard on your body.”
While wrestling is taking up the bulk of her time right now, Mir admits that her desire to join the best fighters in the world in the UFC is definitely getting hard to ignore.
She stays in constant contact with White and always receives advice from her father as far as her career is concerned but Mir doesn’t discount the possibility that she starts fighting in the UFC before her wrestling career is finished.
“I feel like after UFC BJJ 1, it’s made me think a lot about how I want my timing to be going into the UFC,” Mir said. “Because I thought about maybe once I’m graduated from college, maybe I start doing UFC fights, maybe just Contender Series or maybe prelim fights, maybe that could be my contract. Me and Dana have such a close relationship and I know he’s going to advise what’s best for me. I do trust him and he’s been working with me for a long time.
“But I’ve thought about doing that, I’ve thought about maybe waiting until 2028 if I want to fight in the UFC and I just keep having UFC Fight Pass fights over the summers or just whenever I can, when it’s not during wrestling season. I’ve been going back and forth after UFC BJJ 1, just trying to figure out how I want my timing to be.”
Mir says having White in her corner has been a huge benefit as she makes these major decisions about her athletic future. Until further notice, Mir still ranks wrestling as her No. 1 sport for now but she knows it’s only a matter of time before MMA becomes her sole focus.
“I honestly couldn’t be more grateful the position I’m in,” Mir said. “The way the UFC supports me and Dana, what more could you ask for? Sometimes it chokes me up when I’m sitting there and I’m seeing something on Instagram, I’m just so grateful and I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity than having the UFC work with me and support me and Dana and all the staff a part of the UFC.
“I feel like [wrestling] will be the first sport I retire from because you don’t see many 40 year olds wrestling that you do in jiu-jitsu and MMA. I really want to take advantage of my youth and take advantage [that] I’m in a really good spot right now making the finals for collegiate nationals for NCAA’s and the U.S. Open. I feel like I’m right there with those top girls. I feel like I’m getting better every year.”
