Video: Randa Markos takes no moral victory in 'TUF 20' semifinal finish

LAS VEGAS – After entering “The Ultimate Fighter 20? as a No. 14 seed in the 16-fighter field, Randa Markos could easily take great pride in reaching the semifinals of the tournament before being eliminated. She doesn’t.

“I’m going to win that belt, and it doesn’t matter how long it takes right now,” Markos told MMAjunkie. “I’m going to work hard, and my sights are only on that belt.”

Markos, a 29-year-old Canadian, entered the tournament with little fanfare. After all, with some of the sport’s top-ranked 115-pound women filling out the field, the odds were certainly stacked against her. But she scored a surprising win over Tecia Torres, followed by a first-round submission victory over Felice Herrig, to advance to the semifinals before falling short against Rose Namajunas.

After the show, she took to training full-time with Michigan Top Team, where she said she’s made incredible strides in her game.

“(My coach) Dean Cruickshank said it the right way,” Markos said. “He said, ‘There’s a reason why you didn’t win. It’s because maybe you weren’t ready for that title shot yet.’ He said it was just my training. I switched gyms, and I’m working harder and switched up a few things.”

On Friday, Markos (4-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes her official UFC debut when she meets Jessica Penne (11-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale in Las Vegas. Like Markos, Penne also fell short in the semifinals of the tournament, losing to Carla Esparza.

Both fighters have earned the majority of their career wins by submission, but Markos said she’s been working diligently on improving her striking techniques, as well. She said the new techniques she’s honed leave her a little uncertain of how the fight will play out, but she feels better than ever.

“I don’t know how I’m going to do, really, because I’ve been working so hard on different things, working with Daron Cruickshank and his dad with my standup and everything, which I’ve never really focused too much on,” Markos said. “I don’t know how it’s going to turn out. Hopefully you guys are going to see some improvement with what I’ve been working on. It will definitely be a good fight.”

In some ways, just getting to the semifinals should be seen as a Markos win. But “Quiet Storm” isn’t big on moral victories. Instead, she’s inspired by what she accomplished in the tournament but know it’s just the start. She’ll watch either Esparza or Namajunas leave Friday’s event with a UFC title belt wrapped around her waist, but Markos wants them to know she’ll eventually call that belt her own.

“I know I have a lot to improve on, but definitely my sights are on the belt, and that’s it,” Markos said. “I’m just going to take this as any other fight and put everything aside and just put on everything I worked hard for and leave it in the cage.”

For more on The Ultimate Fighter Finale 20, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.