UFC TAKEOVER pg

from February 7, 2020

FENTY BEAUTY pg

Continued from page 1

Mary Kate O’Day sets to release a shot. Courtesy of fsurams.com

watching, they are working to get better and better.”

Last season, O’Day reached 1,000 career points and recently moved into second in the all-time leaderboard for scoring in FSU Women’s Basketball history. She currently has 1,411 total career points.

“It came as a surprise - I had no idea I was anywhere near being the second leading scorer,” O’Day said. “It is definitely a cool feeling.”

Velozo joined O’Day in the 1,000 points club this season with a late-game 3-pointer in a win against Fitchburg State.

“Hitting my 1,000th point was special. What made it so special was my teammates, family and friends being there cheering me on and supporting me,” Velozo said. “When I hit my 1,000th point, I could tell simply because the crowd got so loud.”

O’Day said, “I personally was extremely happy and proud of Emily when she scored her 1,000th. She has worked so incredibly hard over these past four years and her hitting her 1,000th point the other night proved just how hard she worked.

“No one is more deserving of that accomplishment than she is. As for the team, everyone was so excited and happy for her as well.” With neither player starting a single game their freshman year, it is certainly impressive they were able to reach 1,000 points and counting.

“MK works at her craft and she is so unselfish, so it’s a little surprising that she is the 2nd all-time scorer but only because she is so unselfish,” Paschal said. “And Emily only had 22 points her freshmen year but put so much work into her game that she is now a 1,000-point scorer. Really both kids are going to be examples of what other kids need to do to get better.” The two stepped into captain roles for their final season and thrived in the role, as both are in the Top 5 in the MASCAC for points per game, field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage, and free throw percentage.

They also embraced the role by leading team workouts and aiding teammates at practices throughout the year.

“They both have been great leaders vocally and playing wise,” Sophomore Liana Cunningham said. “They’re leaders when it comes to the game of basketball and they both have led us in the right direction this season. We wouldn’t be where we are without them.” With the two seniors’ leadership, the Rams own a record of 15-5 overall and 7-0 in the MASCAC and are sitting in first place for the Conference and primed for a long playoff run.

Beyond their leadership and their relationship on the court, Velozo and O’Day have a strong bond off the hardwood with each other and their teammates.

“Playing with Emily these past four years has been awesome and something I wouldn’t trade for the world. Not only are we teammates but she is one of my best friends, so having that connection has made these four years even more special,” O’Day said. “Emily and I have been roommates for three years now and we have definitely had our fun and made lots of great memories. Being friends with her outside of basketball made my experience that much better.”

Cunningham said, “The relationship I have with them on and off the court is very special for sure. They are both like big sisters to me and truly have had such a great impact on my life.

“Both of them are people I know will be in my life for a long time and I cannot wait to see all of what they accomplish after college.” After this season finishes, the two seniors will be hanging up their Framingham State jerseys for the final time.

But it’s not that time yet, they still have one more goal. “One thing I definitely want to achieve would be winning the championship,” O’Day said. “We have come so close before but always came up short. Being able to win my last year here would be something special.”

Pascal said, “I don’t want either of them to end their college careers. But if they have to, hopefully they can end it as they always do, giving everything they have.”

The Rams huddle between play. Emily Velozo drives to the hoop for a basket. Courtesy of fsurams.com

Courtesy of fsurams.com

CONNECT WITH LIAM GAMBON lgambon1@student.framingham.edu

Carlos’ Call: The

UFC is ready to

takeover in 2020

By Carlos Silva Asst. Sports Editor

After a star studded 2018, the UFC took a step back in 2019 in terms of “big fights.”

Yes, there was a load of amazing bouts such as Yair Rodriguez vs Jeremy Stephens II, Tony Ferguson vs Donald Cerrone, Dustin Porier vs Max Holloway II, and, of course, Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington.

However, these fights did not even come close to touching the Pay-PerView numbers that the previous year did.

Despite that, 2019 played a huge part in setting up the UFC for another “boom” year.

With star fighter Conor McGregor making his return to the octagon, a multitude of potential matchups have begun to appear for him in the lightweight and welterweight divisions.

After his 40 second TKO defeat over Cerrone this past January, McGregor made noise and sparked the interest of fighters in both divisions. Current Welterweight Champion, Usman, referred to a potential fight versus McGregor as “red panties night,” which ties back to when McGregor used the phrase to describe a matchup with him as being one that can change any fighter’s life financially.

A matchup with Usman, seems unlikely after a brawl over Super Bowl weekend nearly broke out between Usman and Masvidal.

With the matchup almost agreed upon, McGregor’s next match is all but confirmed to be in the lightweight division.

According to UFC President, Dana White, the best business decision for the UFC is to matchup McGregor versus his rival of 2018 and current Lightweight Champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov.

The two previously broke Pay-PerView records in their last matchup that saw Khabib beat McGregor by submission via a rear-naked choke in the fourth round.

There is one major issue with a potential rematch occurring - Khabib is scheduled to defend his title versus Ferguson in April at UFC 249.

Ferguson is believed by many to be Khabib’s toughest opponent to date. If Ferguson were to beat Khabib, this would most likely mean Ferguson versus McGregor would happen at some point in the fall.

The UFC is in many ways relying on Khabib to win his fight so that they can start advertising Khabib vs McGregor II as soon as possible.

Let’s then think about what happens if Khabib were to beat Ferguson. Due to his religious beliefs, Khabib will not be able to fight until at least

the end of the fall or early winter as he will be observing Ramadan.

Is it worth keeping McGregor waiting until the end of the year to fight, when he said himself, he

wants to fight right away? McGregor is truly not ready for someone like Khabib. He just had his first fight in over a year and it lasted under a minute. Without fighting against a proven grappler or wrestler, McGregor would be stepping into the lion’s den against Khabib.

Fortunately for McGregor, two possible fights for him are against Nate Diaz and Justin Gaethje.

Gaethje and McGregor have no history. The only reason for this fight to actually happen is to keep McGregor in the spotlight while giving Gaethje an opportunity to rise in popularity and enjoy “red panties night.”

Diaz and McGregor have a long history with each other and a trilogy between the two is something UFC fans have been salivating about for a long time. They split their previous matchups and a deciding fight seems almost inevitable. The only question is, will it happen in 2020?

Moving away from lighter divisions, it’s time for the heavyweights to shine again.

Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic is at the top of the mountain and it seems like the UFC has one major name that they want to be thrown into the conversation for a championship bout versus Miocic. Jon “Bones” Jones, the current Light Heavyweight Champion, has been eyeing a move up into the heavyweight division for a couple of years now.

The only thing stopping this fight from being scheduled is Jones being more interested in another opponent, Israel Adesanya.

Despite having a fight against Dominick Reyes this Saturday at UFC 247, Jones seems more preoccupied by hilarious Twitter beef with Adesanya, who was recently scheduled to defend his middleweight championship against Yoel Romero.

If Jones does not make the move up, fan favorite Francis Ngannou could present himself as a serious contender versus the current Heavyweight champion. Previously, Ngannou was defeated by Miocic back in 2018 at UFC 220.

Ngannou has put himself back into the spotlight with ferocious knockout wins in his last three fights.

According to UFC.com, Ngannou is currently ranked as the third best heavyweight and will look to make his resume more eye-catching as he is scheduled to face against the man who almost blew up Alistair Overeem’s face, Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC on ESPN 8.

An interesting approach for the UFC is to have Ngannou face off against Daniel Cormier, the man who Miocic beat for the championship.

The issue with booking this fight is that Cormier has been mulling retirement for a while now, and it. seems like the only fights that have him excited for a return is a trilogy match against either Miocic or Jon Jones.

The matchup versus Jones seems more unlikely

as Cormier did not come close to beating Jones in either of the two contests.

Cormier does, however, have a win over Miocic. The future of the heavyweight division is bright, as it will be very hard for the UFC to mess up any booking decisions since the topheavy division consists of all amazing possibilities.

Moving on to what unfortunately could be a lowpoint of the UFC in 2020, the female fighter divisions could be in some trouble.

Flyweight Champion, Valentina Shevchenko, is set to defend her title this weekend at UFC 247 against Katlyn Chookagian. Shevchenko might be the most dominant fighter in the UFC that many non-hardcore fans do not know about. Despite two losses to the best female fighter in history, Amanda Nunes, Shevchenko has been pretty unbeatable.

This presents a problem for the UFC. If Chookagian cannot beat Shevchenko, then UFC will be in limbo with the flyweight division. It’s a situation that is eerily similar to that

of Jon Jones and the lightweight division. Both fighters have basically beaten anyone there is to beat in their respective divisions.

The only fight that might be left for Shevchenko is a trilogy match versus Nunes. Nunes has been on a run that has led many to call her the best female fighter of all-time. The UFC, however, might be reluctant to schedule this fight as a losing result could put Shevchenko and the rest of the flyweight division in a negative light. If she could not beat Nunes, then it would cause fans to lose interest in her and the rest of the division, despite her being the dominant champion she is. The UFC would be in a lose-lose situation, because they would have a champion who fans don’t care about and would have a hard time finding someone who can beat her. The situation is very likely to occur because the Flyweight title would not be available for Nunes to win.

A lot of pressure is in the hands of Chookagian. If she does not beat Shevchenko, then a year of possible excitement for the flyweights might turn into a nightmare fast.

The one saving grace for the UFC when it comes to female matchups in 2020, is Nunes.

The double-champ is a big-name superstar that will cause big Pay-PerView numbers no matter who she goes up against.

Many UFC fans are hopeful because Dana White has been very public about his projections for 2020, and they have everyone excited for what could transpire.

Ice hockey falls to Westfield

By Sara Senesac Sports Editor

The Rams’ ice hockey team hosted the Westfield State Owls for a conference game Jan. 30. The first period was slow on both ends until the Owls’ Joseph Carbone scored a short-handed goal in the final five minutes.

Less than four minutes into the second, Westfield scored again when Daniel Backstrom shot one into the corner off a pass from F.X. Girard.

Four minutes later, the Owls were awarded a power play, and Backstrom capitalized once more to leave the Rams trailing by three.

The Rams finally got on the board in the last eight minutes of the second, when junior Soren Colstrup snuck one in off a pass from sophomore Trevor Lewandoski.

Within the first 10 minutes of the third, Westfield managed to add two more to the board during their second power play run of the game.

Senior Greg Harney said, “A common theme this season has been these mental lapses where in a very short span of time, we aren’t as engaged in the game. That is ultimately where the game is decided.

“We agree that if we prevent these scenarios from happening, and we capitalize on scoring chances and power play opportunities, we will be fine,” Harney added.

Trailing by four, Framingham showed one final sign of life during the last five minutes of the match. Freshman Ethan Cervonayco connected off a faceoff pass from sophomore Erick Walsh to cut the Owls lead down to three.

Westfield held their lead for the remainder of play and went home with a 5-2 victory over the Rams. Freshman Blake Carlson managed to make an impressive 30 saves in net for Framingham. Harney said, “I’ve never seen the MASCAC more open than it is this year, we are still very much in the playoff picture if we secure some wins in the remaining games of the season.” The loss brings them to 2-15-2 for the season and 1-10-1 in the MASCAC. They travel to Plymouth state for another conference match Feb. 8.

[Editor’s Note: Soren Colstrup is a staff writer for The Gatepost.]

WESTFIELD STATE 5 FRAMINGHAM STATE 2