On Saturday, she will look to do something that has eluded her throughout her nearly six-year UFC tenure: Win back-to-back fights.
“I definitely need two fights in a row,” said Ontario’s Markos. “I feel like I have what it takes; it’s basically just a fight in my own head. It’s a fight against me. It’s not the fight against my opponents that I lose, it’s the fights against myself. And I feel like once I can overcome that I’ll be unstoppable.”
Markos has fallen short of stringing together a two-fight win streak on five different occasions since she was a competitor on the 20th season of The Ultimate Fighter. That season, TUF: A Champion Will Be Crowned, was the first season featuring only female fighters and was the genesis of the UFC’s strawweight division.
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“Quiet Storm” can’t even compare herself to the fighter that made it to the show’s semifinals back in 2014.
“I feel like I was more of a fearful fighter back then and fearless in the same way, not knowing my abilities and everything,” Markos said. “Now I feel like I know my abilities and I feel I’ve changed in a million ways.”
Markos will put her abilities to the test on Saturday against Brazil’s Amanda Ribas, who is undefeated in the UFC thus far and coming off impressive wins over Mackenzie Dern and Emily Whitmire.
Markos was impressed with Ribas’ victory over the highly touted Dern and believes that defeating Ribas will spring her right back toward the rankings.
“Her last fight was Dern and I think that she made Dern look bad. A fight against her will definitely put me up a notch,” Markos said. “Obviously she is ranked right now and I’m not, so it will hopefully help with the rankings.”
When the two strawweights meet in the Octagon inside Ginasio Nilson Nelson, Markos believes that her extensive experience will be the deciding factor in the matchup.
“I feel like I’ve fought so many different people, I’ve seen so many different levels, so many girls and almost all the girls in the top ten,” Markos said. “I feel like I have more experience than she does, and I bring a lot to the table. We’re going to have to see if she has what it takes to go up against an opponent like me because I’m not going to take it lightly.”
The fight is a big moment for Markos, who has an opportunity to jump right back in the mix at 115 pounds. The aftermath of the amazing UFC 248 battle between Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk has the hype surrounding the division at an all-time high.
And that’s why Markos knows this is her chance to make a run to the top.
“This is what I’ve been waiting for, for a really long time, and a win will definitely set the pace for the year.”
Make sure you tune into UFC Brasilia this Saturday to see if Markos can secure that elusive second straight victory.
“I feel like I’ve fought so many different people, I’ve seen so many different levels, so many girls and almost all the girls in the top ten,” Markos said. “I feel like I have more experience than she does, and I bring a lot to the table. We’re going to have to see if she has what it takes to go up against an opponent like me because I’m not going to take it lightly.”
The fight is a big moment for Markos, who has an opportunity to jump right back in the mix at 115 pounds. The aftermath of the amazing UFC 248 battle between Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk has the hype surrounding the division at an all-time high.
And that’s why Markos knows this is her chance to make a run to the top.
“This is what I’ve been waiting for, for a really long time, and a win will definitely set the pace for the year.”
Make sure you tune into UFC Brasilia this Saturday to see if Markos can secure that elusive second straight victory.
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