While there have been a few unfortunate changes to the card for UFC 186, the promotion's return to Canada at the Bell Centre in Montreal, one positive addition that is of particular interest to Canadian fight fans is a battle of Ultimate Fighter alumni that will see Canadian Randa Markos face Ireland's Aisling Daly in a strawweight division tilt.

When they ring the bell to start the fight, currently scheduled to be on the card's Fight Pass prelims, it will have been over four months since Markos culminated her eye-opening run into the Ultimate Fighter semifinals with a fight of the night-calibre loss to Jessica Penne at the finale.

Since that bout, Markos has been waiting and preparing.

"I've been in the gym since my list fight, I was really disappointed in the outcome so I went back at it right away and I've been training hard ever since," Markos told TSN.ca.

"When I got this call, I was ready for it."

The time off between fights has been refreshing for the Windsor, Ontario based fighter, who has used it to refine her game.

"Last year was a crazy year, I fought six or seven times, and I wanted this break to focus on my team and my training and what I need to work on, I didn't get to do that last time.  I like a good two or three months off, but this hasn't been long, it doesn't feel long."

One of the 29-year-old's training stops took her down to Strong Style gym in Ohio to work with top 10 ranked women's bantamweight fighter Jessica Eye, a move that helped her better assess her level of preparedness heading into the fight.

 

Just getting back from a great day of sparring at strong style gym in Ohio. Always a great time with the gang. Thank guys :)

A photo posted by Randa "Quiet Storm" Markos (@randamarkos) on

"I like to see where I stand, I don't know if I'm getting any better until I go out there and challenge myself, so I'll go over there and spar with Jessica and get feedback from her.  She's really talented and I take what she says to heart and really feel like she's looking out for me and then I'll know what I need to work on from there."

Since the April 25 bout was announced, Markos' opponent Daly has said among other things that, "a win against Randa doesn't do much for me in terms of title contention," and "I got to train with her a lot. To be honest, in training I was just better than her in every range. I know I have that going for me going into the fight."

Markos understands the gamesmanship of her opponent's words and is all right if Daly wants to take her lightly heading into the bout.

"If she's going to underestimate me, she's going to have something coming to her because I don't think there is such a thing as an easy fight.  All of my fights were tough and I'm sure everyone else's were as well."

"If you're going to look past somebody you better watch out.  I respect her as a person and I'm not surprised by the way she's talking, the way she's saying things, but it doesn't matter when you walk into that cage, whatever you say does not matter.  She's going to see how hard I've been working."

Markos is ready to do that work in front of a rabid group of Canadian fans that have been supporting her in her MMA career.

"It means everything to me, I love Canada and people have been extremely supportive of me, people from all over Canada.  It's really awesome to represent Canada and the strawweight division.  I hear Montreal is crazy, the fans are really exciting and motivating and I'm really excited to get to fight there."