Herzlich Willkommen » arding, experience for Markos, her absence was equ

Randa Markos remembers the moment she was finally free of The Ultimate Fighter house. For six weeks, the Iraqi-Canadian was cut off from her loved ones, as she was locked up in the Las Vegas home with 15 other womens strawweight fighters and given no free access to the outside world. As a result, life during that time consisted of little more than training, eating and sleeping — not to mention the occasional bit of drama. As with previous seasons of the popular reality series, Markos and her fellow cast members were denied any communication with their families and forced to surrender their phones. In the past, this kind of isolation has some driven some fighters to their breaking points. Its also yielded a few out-of-competition brawls, as well as damaged property. Markos knew exactly what she was getting herself into before entering the infamous house, but admitted it was still tough being cut off from her loved ones. "I was mentally prepared for it, so I knew if it got really bad to just stay grounded," said Markos during an interview in downtown Toronto. "As the weeks went on, I started to miss my family a lot. It wasnt so much that I was missing them, but I was just worried something might have happened. I wanted to make sure everything was OK with them. That really affected me, not being able to call my family, talk to them and see how they were doing. "I got my phone back and was like, How do I use this thing?" she laughed. "It had been so long. Id never been that far away from my phone. I wanted to call out, but forgot how. First thing I did was call my husband and then I called my family." Markos will be featured on The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned, which premieres tonight. Over the course of the shows 20th season, the group of 16 athletes will be winnowed down to two finalists who will then battle for the inaugural UFC womens 115-pound title at the live finale at Las Vegass Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Fri., Dec. 12. The coaches, lightweight champ Anthony Pettis and challenger Gilbert Melendez are set to lock horns in the co-main event of UFC 181 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Dec. 6. Though being cooped up proved to be a tough, yet rewarding, experience for Markos, her absence was equally challenging for her loved ones. Markos husband, Jeff Thomas, said it was difficult not being able to see his wife on her birthday. "After the first week, I was just like, I miss her and cant talk to her — especially with her birthday coming up. I cant even wish her happy birthday. This is crazy," said Thomas. "Wed never been away from each other for that long in the longest time. It felt really different. "I sort of knew it was her goal to get in. Shes always said, I want to see how far I can get before we have kids. I knew how bad she wants to have kids, so I knew shed do anything to get to where she wanted to be. When that opportunity came, it was just the next step for her." Of course, being separated from her family was only part of the challenge. Over the month and a half long filming schedule, TUF cast members can potentially fight as many as three times, provided they keep winning. This means they have to keep their weight constantly on point due to the short turnaround between bouts. Then there are potential personality clashes with other athletes. To make matters worse, theres no real privacy to speak of, as everything is committed to film. Markos said her time on the show made her both a better and tougher fighter, but admitted watching herself on television will be an awkward experience. "You come out of there a lot stronger," said Markos. "For anyone who went in there, youre coming out stronger mentally and physically. It was a great experience. So people made it hard, but it was still one of the greatest experiences. "I dont know how Im going to come across to people. Whats done is done and I cant change it. So Im just going to sit there, watch it and hope for the best. There are a few things I said where I was like, Why did I say that? It sounds so stupid." The experience will no doubt be equally surreal for Thomas, who has to watch his wife compete against the top fighters in the world. Though he has faith in Markos skills, Thomas said he gets anxious before each of her fights. "When it starts, Im nervous as all hell," Thomas said. "I dont like seeing her get punched in the face. I dont like seeing her get hit — nothing like that — but I know her style. Once she gets to a certain point in the fight, I know its over and she won. Then I dont have to worry anymore. If she gets her (opponent) on the ground — and once I see that shes looking comfortable in there — its less stressful. But its never fun to watch her get punched in the face." For Markos, the hard part is done for now. With her stint in the house behind her, shes focused on improving her overall game. Though she learned a lot from her TUF coaches, she admitted shes still only scraped the surface of her potential. "I dont think Im where I want to be right now," Markos said. "I know I have a lot of improving to do and Im constantly wanting to learn every day. So they helped me out a lot with things I wasnt sure about. So I definitely came out of there with a huge amount of knowledge. "Its the most important thing in my life right now, just having that opportunity and being able to show everyone that Im a Canadian and Im also from the Middle East. I like to show all the little girls that look up to me at my gym that you dont have to be like some other people are. Just be yourself and just be respectful. It means a lot to me that I can go out there and show people who I am as a person, not just as a fighter." Charles Woodson Jersey . The Islanders own the fifth pick in the 2014 draft but had until June 1 to decide whether to keep it or defer to 2015. The selection was packaged in the teams deal for Thomas Vanek on October 27, 2013. Kenny Stabler Jersey . The 23-year-old McNabb was an All-Star with the American Hockey Leagues Rochester Americans this season, posting seven goals and 22 assists in 38 games. In 12 games with the Sabres this season, McNabb has accumulated six penalty minutes and a plus-1 rating. He has scored one goal and seven assists in 37 career games with the Sabres, who originally selected him in the third round (66th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. http://www.authenticraiderspro.com/. Kripps, of Summerland, B.C., and Edmontons Barnett used a terrific second run to move up two spots, putting the Canadian duo in medal contention with the final two runs set for Monday (11:15 a.m. ET, streaming live at cbc. Marcus Allen Jersey .com) - Carmelo Anthony tallied 31 points to help the New York Knicks continue their improved play of late with a 100-92 victory over a short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder squad. Antonio Brown Jersey . Kenny Miller scored from the penalty spot and Camilo Sanvezzo came off the bench to add two late goals as the Whitecaps kept their playoff hopes alive with a 3-0 victory over the sagging Impact on Saturday afternoon.CALGARY - It didnt take long for "the Canadian way" to become a mantra at Hockey Canadas massive under-17 mens hockey camp. The slogan is on the back of every red T-shirt worn by the 108 players circulating through the Markin MacPhail Centre on Calgarys west side. The phrase is drilled into their heads on and off the ice by their coaches and Hockey Canada staff. "They use that term almost in every sentence," Toronto defenceman Jakob Chychrun said Wednesday. "They really teach us all to be young men. "They talk about professionalism, respect and even the little things like cleaning the table up after lunch." Part of the revamp of the national under-17 program was summoning this vast group of players born in 1998 to learn early what Hockey Canada expects and wants from players who wear the Maple Leaf. The nine-day camp ends Tuesday. "Weve had a lot of lectures on the Canadian way and what that means to us and how we have to respect it," defenceman Sean Day said. "Thats one of the most used words Ive heard in the last two days is respect. Just having pride in your nation and respecting everyone who is involved and respecting your opponents." Their days have been filled with fitness and hockey skills testing as well as classroom seminars on nutrition, mental training and media relations. Theyre learning how to warm up and cool down properly for workouts and games in order to avoid injury and perform their best. Players from Duncan, B.C., to Mount Pearl, N.L., have been divided into six teams with their own coaches and support staff. They start playing games against each other Thursday. "The message to them is theres a way we do things here," said Scott Salmond, Hockey Canadas vice-president of hockey operations. "What were trying to teach them in the different areas, were going to have a better chance to win. "We want them leaving here knowing what the Canadian way is, that theyre going to play hard, theyre committed players, theyre character players, they accept their roles. The Canadian way was really borne out of the Olympic team and the performance that they had in Sochi, everything from how that team performed to how they prepared. "Its playing hard, its playing with character and when other teams push, we push back harder. Those are the messages were trying to give every day, all day. The Markin MacPhail Centtre will bulge with Canadian hockey prospects when another 44 arrive Friday for the under-18 mens selection camp.dddddddddddd A team of the best 22 players born in 1997 will be chosen to play for Canada at the annual Ivan Hlinka international tournament Aug. 11-16 in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Canada has won the tournament six consecutive years. The presence of the under-18 players is another way of driving home the message to the under-17 players whats required to play for Canada. "We want those kids to see the next level for them," Salmond said. The World Under-17 Hockey Challenge has traditionally been held in late December during its 22 years, but the event will be played Oct. 31 to Nov. 8 this year in Sarnia, Ont. Instead of five regional teams representing Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, West and Pacific, Canada will enter three teams mixing players from different regions. So Canadians will now play in the under-17 tournament under the banner of their country, and not their geographical region. There will be more competition to play in the tournament as 66 players from across the country will be named to those three squads. Torontos Chychrun and Day played for Ontario at the most recent under-17 tournament held in Sydney, N.S., under the old format. Forward Mitchell Balmas of Sydney represented Team Atlantic and Edmonton forward Tyler Benson played for Team Pacific. Chychrun was the first overall pick in this years Ontario Hockey League draft by the Sarnia Sting. Benson went first in last years Western Hockey League draft to the Vancouver Giants. Day is the only player invited to this under-17 camp who played major junior hockey last season. He was an underage defenceman for the OHLs Mississauga Steelheads. Balmas was a first-round pick of the QMJHLs Charlottetown Islanders this year. This is his first trip to Western Canada and his camp roommates are from Ontario and Quebec. Mixing the players pushes them out of their comfort zone. Where once they compared themselves to players from within their own province, they now measure themselves against their counterparts in the rest of the country. "You see how you rank with the other guys all across Canada and what you need to work on," Balmas said. "You kind of have to bring all your stuff because you dont know who youre playing against or who youre playing with. You have to learn and adapt." 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