Randa Markos has found the team to help lead her to a UFC championship

When Randa Markos debuted on "The Ultimate Fighter" season 20, she was a relative unknown in a field with some of the best strawweight competitors on the planet.

It didn't take long for the Iraqi-born fighter to make an impact after beating highly touted prospect Tecia Torres in the opening bout of the tournament before beating Felice Herrig in the next round and moving on to the semifinals.

Markos quickly became one of the top prospects developed from the reality show, but after missing out on a high-profile matchup against fellow rising star Paige VanZant, she knew that hanging with the best in the UFC wasn't good enough if she wanted to be truly great one day.

To elevate to elite status, Markos knew she needed to put everything else in her life on the backburner and focus solely on becoming a better fighter. Maybe the scariest thing about Markos is up until now she's only been able to give a percentage of her total effort due to a full-time job and other commitments. But to prepare for her upcoming fight against Karolina Kowalkiewicz, she uprooted her life in Ontario and moved north to Montreal to begin training under coach Firas Zahabi and his team at Tri-Star MMA.

"I think not getting the fight with Paige (VanZant) really made up my mind," Markos told FOX Sports. "I've been sitting around waiting for a fight, I'm training at a really good gym in Michigan and my coaches in Windsor, but I just felt like my training wasn't as far as it could be.

"I always wanted to go to Montreal, but I had my job, my family and everything like that but when I didn't get the fight with Paige, I thought these girls are getting all this experience and I'm sitting here waiting so I need to drop everything and come here. I know I'm training with the best and I'll be ready whenever they call me."

It wasn't an easy move according to Markos because she's made a life for herself in Ontario including a new home she just recently purchased with her husband along with the support system she has with her family, who also live in the area.

But Markos knew that if she was ever going to make a push into the top five of the UFC women's strawweight division this wasn't really a choice at all.

"It was definitely difficult. I'm married and we just bought a house and I'm really close with my family so it was really hard to get up and leave but I knew the time was now," Markos said. "If I want to do good and have a chance at the belt I need to do it now. I can't wait until next week or next month. I just thought 'this is it.' I told my boss at my work and she was OK with it and I just packed up and left."

Working at Tri-Star has been a revelation for Markos not only because she's getting world-class training everyday with coaches who have championship experience, but she's able to prepare for her upcoming fight this weekend in Orland with nothing else on her mind but the opponent she's about to face.

Unlike every other fight she's had in her career, there are no distractions to pull away from the task at hand and a focused Randa Markos is a very dangerous fighter indeed.

"I think everyone is going to see a different side of me. A different Randa Markos," Markos said. "I've never been 100-percent committed to MMA until now. I've dropped everything, left everything, no distractions at all, 100-percent focused on MMA. No job, nothing. Just fully training and being around Firas (Zahabi) and the guys -- you're going to see a more focused, a more technical, more skilled me."

Since beginning to work at Tri-Star full time, Markos has benefitted from coaching from Zahabi as well as a slew of UFC notables, including former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, who teaches a weekly class at the gym.

It's hard to deny that Markos' ferocious wrestling and tenacity inside the Octagon has shades of St-Pierre's signature style, so learning from one of the best fighters of all time who also just happens to fight a lot like her is a huge benefit.

"He teaches a class almost every Monday. I get to work with him. He's really helpful, whatever you need, he's always helpful. He wants to make us better," Markos said about St-Pierre. "That's just a great coach and training partner. I came from a wrestling background and so does he and even Firas has a similar jiu-jitsu style as I do from what I've noticed in rolling.

"I'm hoping to make my style stronger instead of changing anything. I'm obviously going to pick up new things but I want to become a stronger wrestler, a stronger grappler and add my stand up to that."

Markos has nothing but great things to say about her previous team and coaches because they got her to the UFC in the first place, but she truly believes that working with Tri-Star will not only make her better, but eventually prepare her for a title fight against the likes of current champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

"I really feel that. Michigan Top Team is awesome, I'm not going to put them down at all. You've seen the improvements from the Jessica Penne fight to the Aisling Daly fight, and I owe it all to everyone from Michigan Top Team, but being here and being surrounded by UFC fighters constantly plus Firas -- I mean being here and training with him, it makes me more confident. I'm more confident in myself and my training and my abilities," Markos said.

While she's still a little disappointed that she didn't get to face VanZant last week in Las Vegas, Markos believes the opportunity to fight this weekend on FOX as the start to the entire main card gives her a big spotlight to work under and she's excited to show the world what she's been learning.

"I really wish I had that fight (with Paige VanZant), but I've got an even better fight now. I think Karolina is a tougher opponent for me," Markos said.

"She's undefeated and there's a reason the UFC signed her. I'm not going to take her lightly at all."