Alex Apodaca pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Contender Series history when she outpointed Bella Mir, daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir, to earn a UFC contract. But even after the win that flipped her life upside down, Apodaca has no plans to walk away from her full-time consulting job at an audit firm.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Apodaca explained that she values the stability and flexibility her employer has given her far too much to give it up, even as her combat career takes off.
“I want to like have like a 401k and good insurance and like that kind of thing,” Apodaca said when asked whether she would stay employed while competing in the UFC.
Apodaca revealed that her firm has granted her what she calls an “alternative work arrangement,” allowing her to step away for two hours a day to train.
“They’ve really provided me a lot of flexibility. I have this thing called an alternative work arrangement and like for 2 hours of the day I get to just go leave and train. And that’s so cool. Like I don’t really know any other companies that would do that and it’s one of the reasons I’ve stayed for so long is because like they’ve been so flexible,” she said.
The 32-year-old, who has worked in audit and consulting for roughly a decade, said her boss even texted her after her post-bout press conference in Las Vegas telling her to skip her scheduled call the following morning. Still, she was back at work days later.
“My boss texted me after the press conference. He was like don’t join the 7:30 call,” she said, before confirming she returned to her job soon after. “Yeah, of course.”
Apodaca did acknowledge that a change may eventually be necessary as her combat schedule grows more demanding.
“I think I might have to make the decision or change how I do it, right? Like maybe it’s not a full-time position anymore or maybe you know the hours are more flexible,” she said.
She also noted the support she has received from leadership at her firm since the win went viral.
“It’s actually kind of exciting like the leadership at the firm has like reached out to me and been like excited about it and congratulating me and that’s really cool,” she said.
Apodaca’s decision to hold onto the security of her consulting career also comes as the UFC continues to face scrutiny over how much it pays athletes, particularly compared with athletes in other major sports.
UFC President Dana White has pushed back on comparisons to the WNBA, arguing that the promotion needs to determine whether a new athlete is actually good enough to remain on the roster before offering a much larger paycheck.
“What do you pay somebody to come in and see if they’re good enough to be there?” White said, adding, “I should pay you $370,000 to see if you belong in the UFC?” White has maintained that pay has increased and that the UFC has developed a middle class of athletes.
However, the comparison has continued to fuel debate over whether UFC newcomers are being adequately compensated.
