Randa Markos remembers the moment she was finally free of The Ultimate Fighter house. Franchy Cordero Padres Jersey . 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. Franchy Cordero Jersey . Sundays race will be held at the Sepang circuit, adjacent to Kuala Lumpurs main airport where the ill-fated flight took off earlier this month. Authorities now say it is almost certain it crashed in the Indian Ocean, killing all 239 people aboard. Hunter Renfroe Jersey . -- Arkansas didnt need a spectacular dunk to beat No. http://www.padressale.com/padres-eric-hosmer-jersey/ . -- Jonathan Diaz is easy to spot in the Blue Jays clubhouse.WASHINGTON -- The Washington Nationals placed Gio Gonzalez on the 15-day disabled list Sunday because of inflammation in his pitching shoulder. This is the first time the 28-year-old left-hander has gone on the disabled list. Gonzalez (3-4) dropped his third straight start in Saturdays 5-2 loss to the New York Mets. He lasted only three innings, allowing five runs and seven hits, which raised his ERA to 4.62. Gonzalez gave up seven runs and nine hits in his previous start at Oakland. General manager Mike Rizzo said Gonzalez had an MRI on Sunday in which dye is injected. He will not be able to throw for five days. "Hell miss two starts," Rizzo said of the initial plan. "Well find out whats going in (Gonzalezs shoulder) and take it from there." The Nationals recalled Ryan Mattheus from Triple-A Syracuse. Gonzalez left a start in late April because of shoulder tightness. "He passed a strength test. Combined having a little soreness (Saturday) with a little soreness a month ago, we thought this was a prudent way to do it," Rizzo said before Sundays series finale with the New York Mets. Gonzalez side-stepped questions about his heealth Saturday, but spoke with Rizzo following his latest loss. Austin Hedges Padres Jersey. . "I dont have a great concern level for it right now just because the way Gio said he felt after the game," Rizzo said. Gonzalez lost command of the strike zone Saturday, falling behind in the count and throwing 84 pitches in three innings. "I thought he looked fine," said Rizzo about whether he saw an injured pitcher on the mound. "His arm speed was good. His spin was fine. As good as its always been on his breaking ball. His fastball velocity was good. The command part of it, which sometimes comes and goes with Gio anyway, was the thing that was causing him an issue." Gonzalez went 32-16 during his first two seasons with the Nationals after a trade with the Oakland As. He made at least 32 starts in each of his previous four seasons. "Hes a big key to the ball club," Rizzo said. "Wed like to get him back. Were going to take our time with him and be careful with him because hes vital to the ball club." Mattheus has 140 career appearances with the Nationals, including two this season. He has not allowed a run in three innings. ' ' '