LOS ANGELES -- When Carla Esparza and Jessica Penne agreed to spend several weeks of the summer sequestered in a house with 14 fellow mixed martial artists, they didnt do it because it sounded like fun. E.J. Gaines Youth Jersey . They joined the cast of the upcoming season of "The Ultimate Fighter" because their sport is growing in ways they never imagined just a few months earlier. After years of training, sacrificing and getting punched for little more than personal satisfaction, they embraced the chance to showcase womens MMA to a new audience, even if it meant living in what Esparza called "a combination of a prison and a sorority." "Were getting an amazing opportunity I never thought I would see," added Penne, who was fired from her job as a boxing instructor during her stint on the show this summer. "In this sport, you go through people not taking you seriously, not being able to pay your bills because youre chasing a dream," Penne said. "It gets really difficult. Its a crazy, up-and-down life, but I feel lucky to be able to do something I love every single day. Not many people get the opportunity to do that. Ill suffer while I can to chase my dream." When the UFC added an entire 115-pound womens division this year, the promotion decided to use its long-running reality television show to pick a champion for the first time. The UFC signed most of the worlds top strawweights out of the Invicta FC womens promotion and filmed them living and training together in Las Vegas. The results air on Fox Sports 1 starting Wednesday night, culminating in the title fight Dec. 12. "It was a good experience," said Esparza, a wrestler from Redondo Beach. "I wouldnt trade it for anything in the world, but I dont know if I would do it again." The visibility of womens MMA has skyrocketed in the last two years with the ascent of Ronda Rousey, the UFCs undefeated bantamweight champion and a budding movie star. Rouseys charisma and MMA skills were the main reasons UFC President Dana White reversed his long-standing reluctance to promote female fighters, and Rousey has become arguably the UFCs biggest star. With Rousey topping a thriving bantamweight division, White decided to double down on womens MMA. Suddenly, 115-pound fighters who had barely made any money after years in their sport had the chance to become reality-TV stars and eventual fighters in MMAs biggest showcases. "I had no clue that this was even going to be possible," Esparza said. "I started off fighting for pennies. I thought I was going to fight for a couple of years. It wasnt something I could survive on. I was just fighting because I love it." "Through all my years of training and competing, I never thought of it as my profession," Penne added. "It was just something that I loved to do. I enjoyed and just never really thought of it in that way. I think Ronda did a great service to womens MMA and gave us that catapult to be taken seriously." The UFC appointed lightweight champion Anthony Pettis and top contender Gilbert Melendez as the coaches. Melendez has been a supporter of womens MMA since he taught his first all-women jiu jitsu class in 2004, and his wife, Keri Anne, competes in muay thai. "I was never like, Oh, theyre girls," Melendez said. "Theyre all gamers. A lot of guys fight for so many reasons besides trying to be a true champion. Some of them fight for what it brings to them. These ladies fight straight because they like it." The strawweights needed the UFC, but the worlds dominant MMA promotion also needs them. Even White acknowledged "The Ultimate Fighter" had grown stagnant and repetitive after 19 seasons of the same formula. Most seasons showcase up-and-coming fighters from regional promotions trying to break into the big time -- and usually failing. The 20th season showcases most of the worlds best fighters in the 115-pound weight class, and a title awaits at the end. "The Ultimate Fighter" hasnt featured this much top-end talent since mens flyweights and bantamweights joined the promotion three years ago in a season that featured current bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw, John Dodson and Dennis Bermudez. "I think there will be a couple of stars coming out of this season that can help the company," Melendez said. "And they can use it." Mark Barron Womens Jersey . Toronto shared the American League East lead with Baltimore just over a week ago and held a six-game lead as recently as June 6. But while the Orioles have continued stringing together wins, the Blue Jays have lost six of their last seven. Nick Foles Jersey . Irsay has been undergoing treatment since March when he was arrested near his home in an Indianapolis suburb. The arrest report said he had $29,000 in cash and bottles of prescription drugs in his car.BOSTON - John Lackeys got a big game to pitch. Hes not much for building a rapport with the massive media throng covering the World Series. Hes not going to indulge the narrative. Hes not interested in reflecting on times passed, both good and bad. Lackey, 35, started and won Game 7 of the 2002 World Series for the Angels. That was four days after his 24th birthday. Hes seen this act before, not that hes drawing anything from the memory. "That was a long time ago, man," said Lackey. "I dont think thats going to play much into (tonight.) I think most of those guys in that game arent even playing anymore." Surely he can empathize with his mound opponent, 22-year-old Michael Wacha, whos in a similar position to Lackey circa 2002 and who, like Lackey, seems to pitch as if he has ice water in his veins. "I cant speak to that, I dont know what kind of guy he is," said Lackey. "But personally, I was more excited about it than anything else as far as nerves, that sort of thing." Its something remarkable that Lackey is starting this game. A guy who made his name in Southern California with the Angels, came to Boston and pitched poorly, missed time with serious injury and developed a negative reputation. Two seasons ago, Lackeys second in Boston, he was dreadful. His 6.41 ERA was baseballs worst amongst pitchers with enough innings to qualify. Lackey gave uup a major league-high 114 earned runs. Brian Quick Jersey. . He hit an inordinately high 19 batters. His control was off. Lackey was pitching with pain in his elbow and when he wasnt, he was devouring beer and chicken with his mound buddies as Boston crumbled to a historic September collapse. Lackey missed all of 2012, having undergone Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery. In his first start of 2013, in Toronto on April 6, in the fifth inning and on his 77th pitch, his right bicep seized. To this observer, at least, the worst-case scenario was envisioned. The way Lackeys arm was hanging, straight down, one wondered if hed blown out his elbow again. Surely, if he had, Lackeys career was over. At his age, it would be tough to come back. Turned out to be just a bicep strain and Lackey was back on the mound 22 days later. He made 29 starts overall and Lackeys 3.52 ERA was the lowest hes posted since he led the American League with a 3.01 mark in 2007. His record of 10 wins against 13 losses was more a reflection of, at times, poor run support or the Red Soxs bullpen blowing late leads. All of thats in the past. Lackeys looking ahead to an opportunity for the Red Sox to clinch a world championship on home turf for the first time since 1918. The man of few words didnt need many to sum up the feeling of what it would be like to celebrate at Fenway Park. "It would be awesome." cheap jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '