For most employees, working a 9-5 job and maintaining a work-life balance while doing so can become a difficult task. However, for Alexis Apodaca and Nick Galanti, who scored two big wins at Dana White’s Contender Series last night, that’s not even a problem. Both have continued following their passion for MMA despite having regular day jobs.

Apodaca, after defeating UFC legend Frank Mir’s daughter Bella Mir in the biggest upset in DWCS history, opened up about working at an accounting firm. Even after Dana White awarded her a UFC contract, the 32-year-old admitted that despite things being hard, she would continue working her full-time job for one reason alone.

“I do work at an accounting firm,” Apodaca said at the post-fight presser. “I work a full-time job, and that is very difficult to manage with my schedule. But I actually like it, and I like all the people that I work with a lot. I actually don’t think I’m just going to quit. I think I’ll keep doing it. I like using my brain, you know, so I’m going to keep doing it.”

The Texan didn’t quite reveal the company she works for. However, according to her LinkedIn profile, Apodaca is a manager at a firm called KPMG, which is one of the Big Four accounting firms in the world alongside Deloitte, EY, and PwC. Apodaca, who graduated from the Red McCombs School of Business at UT Austin, has been serving as a manager at the company for 10 years and has participated in numerous financial audits.

Besides her full-time job, the 32-year-old has also continued following her passion for martial arts. She started her amateur career in 2021, as per Tapology, and turned professional in 2025. Since then, she has fought in multiple promotions and built a 4-1 record after her upset victory over Bella Mir tonight.

And now, Apodaca is officially part of the UFC, and she credits her victory to her employers, who have supported her throughout her career.

“Yeah, actually, they’ve been very supportive, and I have so much gratitude toward them for that,” Apodaca added. “My bosses, everyone I work with, they know when I’m taking off for a fight. They know when I’m cutting weight. I’ll be on video calls with a black eye, and they’re totally just used to it by now.

“I just think, you know, it’s the coolest thing ever to have that amount of support from all the people in my life, especially the folks I work for.”

Alexis Apodaca is definitely a hardworking woman for managing both fighting and a full-time job. But she’s far from the first one to do so. Former UFC interim heavyweight champion Shane Carwin worked as a mechanical engineer at the North Weld County Water District for most of his run in Dana White’s promotion. Plus, former UFC welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena also analyzed payment invoices in Australia before earning a UFC contract.

After Apodaca, another DWCS winner, Nick Galanti, opened up about how he has managed to balance his day job with fighting.

Nick Galanti describes his day job after Dana White Contender Series victory  

At tonight’s Contender Series showdowns, Nick Galanti also stood out from the rest with his 35-second knockout victory over Argentina’s Carlos Petruzzella. Right after his win, he opened up about quitting his job as a concrete worker in New York, a hectic life he left behind to pursue MMA full-time. 

“I used to do concrete work, cementing high-rises in New York,” Galanti said at the post-fight presser. “I did that, and I had a landscaping business with my cousin. Overall, I have nothing against it. I was just working six to six, Monday through Friday, then showing up 30 minutes late to the gym at like 7:30. It was an hour-and-a-half drive. I’d be there until like 9:00 or 9:30. 

“I was sleeping three hours a day for almost a year and a half. I was working Monday through Friday and Saturday, then doing landscaping with my cousin on Sunday. Overall, there’s nothing against that life. It’s just, it wasn’t for me. I felt like I was always meant for more.”   

Though Galanti didn’t reveal the exact moment he left his job in concrete work, he revealed that getting sponsors really helped him quit his day job and focus entirely on MMA.

“I’m so lucky to have such great sponsors around me,” he added. “Big shoutout to my guys at Garden State Physical Therapy Group. They really take care of me with this.” 

Again, the UFC middleweight fighter didn’t reveal the exact timeline of when he started getting sponsorships. However, it’s not hard to assume that Galanti received some big checks during his run at Cage Fury Fighting Championships, where he won the middleweight title.

That said, with both Apodaca and Galanti becoming the newest additions to the UFC, they have successfully opened the gates for more to try their hand in the sport. It would be interesting to see whether Apodaca, especially, continues with her day job once her fight schedule starts getting tighter.