Gatekeeping has often been brought up as something with negative connotations in the context of MMA, yet it should not be described as an insult or mockery of a fighter’s abilities.
The Gatekeeper is a fighter who sets the standard for the skill needed to defeat. The gatekeeper may have tried to establish himself as a competitor but for whatever reason he has found his roof in the organization and is constantly hovering around the same standard.
Gatekeepers play a vital role in the UFC and without them, the organization would not thrive the way it did. They are pivotal to the rankings and ensure that there is a consistent stream of progression that is easily identifiable and always displayed between combatants.
Various gatekeepers
There are different levels of gatekeepers as in, not all gatekeepers guard the same things. Victories over “entry-level bodyguards” show that a fighter deserves a spot on the roster and is not out of place in the UFC.
A “potential gatekeeper” is a fighter who guards entry into the top 15. This is often an individual who was previously rated high but due to age and possibly other factors, find themselves at the bottom of the offside rank. They often have a big name and their win pushes the prospect up the rankings.
An Advanced Gatekeeper falls in between the ratings, usually hovering around the top 10, a win against this fighter will qualify an individual to break into the top 5. An Advanced Gatekeeper is usually really a test of a prospect’s capabilities and if they are able to comprehensively defeat this fighter then They would be seen as a legitimate threat in the division.
Finally, the ‘elite gatekeeper’ is a fighter who fights at the top of his league, and may have had a title fight in the past, but seems unable to win the biggest fights and is still just a rung of champion and number one contender. Beating the gatekeeper is almost guaranteed.
Now let’s look at some examples for each gatekeeper level.
Junior-level gatekeeper – Gerald Meerschaert
Gerald Meerschaert It is the perfect example for an entry level concierge. In the organization for seven years, Meerschaert battled a whole host of names. With 17 fights in the organization, Meerschaert went 9-8 with the promotion, but looking at the defeats he has suffered, they have all come against talent who have gone on to establish themselves as powerful fighters in the UFC.
Proverbs Kevin HollandAnd Jack HermansonAnd Thiago SantosAnd Eric Anders until Khamzat Chimaev For example but not limited to. The wins he got were often against fighters new to the organization, with perhaps between 1-3 fights already with the UFC. Meerschaert is often the first known name these fighters encounter in their careers. As can be seen, when analyzing his record today, anyone who beats Meerschaerts generally goes on to become an established name in the sport of MMA and truly deserves his place on the list.
Potential gatekeeper – Andrei Arlovsky
The next level entry level gatekeeper is what I will call a potential gatekeeper. This is a fighter that you have to defeat if you want to fight a ranked opponent next time. Andrei Arlovsky is an excellent example of that. He was a former UFC Heavyweight Champion in 2005.
The Belarusian has a remarkably long lifespan in the profession and is still fighting in the top organization at the age of 44. Even more surprising is that Arlovski has remained a viable and competitive fighter in this time, since 2020 he has gone 6-3 in the organization and before losing his last two bouts he was 6-1. Arlovski suffered a relatively steep slide in his career during the latter part of 2010 when he lost 7 out of 9 fights between the beginning of 2016 and the end of 2018.
Many believe he is done and over fighting in the UFC. However, Arlovski has simply given up on facing the company’s top-tier talent, instead enjoying his new role of facing prospects and up-and-coming fighters looking to break into the top 15. Challenge the vast majority of these up and coming and between 2019 and 2022 for 8 fights his only losses Tom Aspinall And Jairzinho Rosenstreak With the Belarusian veteran kept out of all other contenders hoping to make it into the top 15.
Advanced Gatekeeper – Neil Magney
Neil Magney She has been one of the most consistent powers at welterweight for 10 years now. In his debut in 2013, Magny has the most wins in the history of the welterweight division. 30 fights and 21 victories have seen Magney establish himself as a powerhouse in the welterweight division, and a quick scan of his record finds that Magney has only been defeated by some of the higher-level fighters in the division.
His recent losses came against Gilbert Burns And Shavkat Rachmanov. Perhaps most telling is the number of young prospects Magne has put to the sword during his time in the UFC. Phil RoweAnd Daniel RodriguezAnd Max Griffin And Lee Jiang Liang They were all on winning streaks of 3 or more fights before facing Magne. A victory over the Haitian sensation solidifies your place inside the top 10 in the division and provides the perfect starting point for a top 5 fighter challenge.
Elite Gatekeeper – Derek Bronson
Although there are plenty of options for the Elite Gatekeeper position, Derek Bronson He embodies the attitude like few others.
Bronson was a serious contender in the middleweight division and only lost to some of the top names in the sport, Robert WhitakerAnd Israel AdesanyaAnd Jacquard Souza And Yoel Romero For example but not limited to. He may have surpassed several levels of gatekeeper throughout his time in the UFC Brunson was truly an elite class gatekeeper towards the end of his career with the organization.
After the hype trains derailed Darren TealAnd Admin Shahbaizan and Kevin Holland, eventually defeating Bronson Jared Canonier Who then got the title shot against Israel Adesanya. It is also worth noting that after Adesanyaa defeated Bronson at the end of 2018, (aside from a somewhat celebratory anti-aging and barely ranked match. Anderson Silva) Adesanya will soon get an interim title against Kelvin stomach. Likewise, Bronson’s most recent fight, a loss against Dricos du Plessis Which led to his retirement saw Du Plessis being awarded what is likely to be a number one contender fight against Robert Whitaker. A fight in which victory can carry as much prestige as a championship match.
In short, the gatekeeper system creates a tiered form of progression. If every fighter listed here were in the same weight class, it would be realistic to beat Gerald Mearschaert to lead into a fight with Andrei Arolovsky. A win over Arlovski could easily lead to a fight with Neil Magney. A victory over Neil Magney puts a fighter in the cage with Derek Bronson, and a victory over Bronson will likely be awarded a championship match or a minimum number one contender’s match.
Hopefully, the Gatekeepers level has been explained a little more clearly now. If you disagree or think of any other fighters who fit into the categories on this list, make it known in the comments below.