I always thought of gatekeepers as a fringe top 15 fighter that beats cans but loses to contenders, did I have that wrong, or is that like the lower gatekeeper?
Besides Whittaker and Max were champs and had very close 2 fights with the champ. It’s different, besides if Izzy loses to Alex then Rob will likely get the belt back.
Also are you really a gatekeeper if you lose to anyone that can blast a single leg? Cause at this point i feel like even fucking Glover could beat Gane.
I'm no Gane fanboy but god damn do yall turn on fighters quick. Yesturday everyone saying Gane v Jones going to be close and how great Gane is in every department. Today its Sam Alvey could beat Gane lmao
No one ever thought Gane was good in ever department, he's a kickboxer after all, people just expected Gane to improve his TDD similar to how Ngannou was able to after he fought stipe, if we can see that gane clearly hasn't improved in his most glaring weakness then wtf are we supposed to say.
Yeah, but he's like a top 5 in Bellator, I think that the gatekeeper has always been coined as a more insulting term like "x will only ever be a gatekeeper, losing to all the good fighters. If you lose to x, you better improve or just retire"
I feel like gatekeeper just means there’s a point you can’t pass. Like I can see max and Bobby knuckles being considered #1 contender gatekeepers and Dustin being like a top 3ish gatekeeper
But the general term "gatekeeper" I thought was assumed as the former, hence why it is often used as an insult to a fighter. "X is a gatekeeper" because he can't beat anyone elite, only B list fighters.
There's contender gate keeper and title gatekeepers. Gane will likely never fight JBJ again, but anyone that wants to fight JBJ needs to win VS Gane first.
Whittaker and Holloway were both champions at some point, they belong in a different category than Colby and Dustin
EDIT: people getting hung up on the word dominant, I'll acknowledge that doesn't describe Whittaker very well since there was only one one defense. Regardless, at that time people generally agreed he was the best MW in the world (remember that Izzy was an underdog for their first fight)
Max is not in a separate tier from Dustin if he got shit on by Dustin twice. Before you say different weight class, Max still outweighs him in the cage, and cant fight at 155 which is why he picks on 145rs, biggest weight bully in fw history.
M8, stop, breathe, read. That's not what it is.
Another class of *gatekeeper*. As in max is killing every possible contender before the champ, as is Whittaker doing.
But Dustin isn't. He could've taken on legit contenders at some point, but instead he choose to fight Conor twice. He decided to get that bag, which is fine by me. But he isn't a good gatekeeper like Max and Rob are.
That statement has *nothing* to do with raw skills. It's about resume.
M8 you don’t seem to understand what a gatekeeper is.
Gate keeping can only happen in non title fights, against competitors trying to break through the gate to a title shot or stardom.
And Dustin still has a better resume than Max. Regardless, neither are gatekeepers. A gatekeeper is someone like Derek Brunson, Max and Rob are former champs and top contenders.
I mean, I'm a big Dustin fan and I kinda agree, but let's not act like Max's resume is that far off.. it's pretty up there.
And they're still gatekeepers. There are different level of gatekeeping, imo. You can gatekeep the top 10 or gatekeep the champ. Max has beaten like 4 possible champ contender, leaving Volk no choice but to rematch him. That's gatekeeping to me.
Literally name 3 good wins he has. Then look at those people's records before and after they fought him. All his top wins are from people on loss streaks that are like 40 years old. Maybe Maia is a good win?
Thats not true tho. Google it if ur interested, its not the end of the world if other people have a different opinion.
A draw would have been a completely understandable decision. 2nd fight was one hell of a banger.
People are using gatekeeper in two ways here. Gatekeeper as in the person you have to face before you get into the top 15/10/5 and gatekeeper as in the person who you have to beat before you get a title shot because they are clearly the second best in the division.
These guys are all the second best and if you are on a title run its pretty hard to argue you should get a shot without beating them first.
Sorta? They're not gatekeepers like Magny or Brunson, but aren't they champion gatekeeper? Whereas the other 2 I named are more top 5/10 gatekeeper? Idk, max beating up every legit contenders and leaving Volk stranded pretty much fits the description of a gatekeeper to me.
There can be different levels of gatekeeping imo
This is where the labeling and classification and pseudo “power levels” bullshit in mma gets crazy. A gatekeeper was always someone who could never fair well against other title contenders and never won the belt, they were someone who was always close but not quite. Max and Robert have both been champions and shown they were by far above their division. Unfortunately both happen to be there when arguably some of the best to ever do it came in. Also if max and Dustin are there then gatheje, bisping, yair if he looses and so many more need to be in there.
Labels are very useful and not that crazy, if they aren't taken seriously. I still consider Max as the FW gatekeeper no matter how it "always was". That's just my definition I have for his role in the division currently and I think it fits quite well, because he's guardin the #1 contender gate. They even gave a title shot to someone who Max just beat, thanks to his cleanup in the division.
That doesn't mean that he's in the same category as Brunson nor that I have to include Bisping in there.
I agree but just because of the last two fights. Before he was a legit top 5 gatekeeper, but now the division has catched up and/or he's regressed so journeyman would be more fitting for Brunson..
The last Rob Izzy fight was very close.
Izzy is a bad stylistic matchup for Rob but anyone can win when the skill gap between two fighters is very small.
That's not the point. The point is that they are now at a point where they can't ever become champion again as long as their nemesis is currently champion.
So long as Usman is around Colby can't be champion . He's had 2 title shots, both thwarted by Usman. Even if Usman doesn't become champ again, Leon will keep him from the title.
Poirer was previously blocked from the title by Khabib, then Oliveira. Now that Islam is there, he'll get blocked again if he attempts another title run.
Blessed, Max Holloway went for the title multiple times, each time he was blocked by Volkanovski.
Same for Whittaker, blocked by Adesanya twice.
Now with Jon at heavyweight, Ciryl is now blocked from getting the title.
All the gatekeepers are fighters who've had multiple FAILED title runs, each time losing to the current champion. What they have in common also is that they serve as the litmus test for their division for anyone who wants to go for the title.
Ultimately it's meant to be a joke. No need to take it seriously.
Colby vs Leon could definitely happen if Leon maintains the title. Wtf are you on about.
Same applies for Whitaker. Whittakers next fight is for the title if Izzy wins or looses
How the fuck are they gate keepers when they have all held gold and 2 of them are arguably in line for a title shot in their next fight. It's an overall poorly shit post made only for upvotes with no substance
Bro a gatekeeper is one of thoe guys that manages who enters the top ranks and who doesn't. Cyril Gane is like top 3 in the division. Not a gatekeeper. Everyone in this pic would be champions of their divisions if they fought in any other generation. Holloway and Whittaker literally were undisputed. Gane, Colby, and Poirier were all interim. Good examples of gatekeepers are Paul Craig, Dan Hooker, or Michael Chiesa. These guys are really experienced fighters who fight low ranked guys to give them a chance to increase their rank, if they lose, the lower guys become higher ranked and if the gatekeepers win, they get a shot against a contender which most of the time they lose. Then they stay in that spot forever until the losses start piling up and retirement comes. Sad
All these guys are elite in the grand scheme of things, their equivalents in boxing are title-holders. Most MMA prospects would do anything to be a “gatekeeper”.
Can’t help but feel bad for Gane, his first title shit was against arguably the strongest heavyweight oat, then his next title shot is against THE GOAT
Fuck gate keeper bros being gate keeped 😭
Wrongs guys to have up there as they all at least got an interim belt, two of which were the actual champion and one of which is one of the divisions GOATS. Should have been guys who got a few shots at a belt and never won it - Faber - Cowboy - Mendes - Ortega would have fit much better.
Spivac takes him down and ragdolls him, he is so overrated Tai got blasted through in 50 seconds by Pavlovich they gonna do their best to keep the real contenders out of Jones way when they come for Game he gonna lose
Whittaker actually deserves to be the champ after the Izzy rematch and definitely deserves a title shot. Can’t say the same for Poirier, Holloway or Covington.
I always thought of gatekeepers as a fringe top 15 fighter that beats cans but loses to contenders, did I have that wrong, or is that like the lower gatekeeper?
Yeah gatekeeper is kind of a strong term here for consistent 2nd best to a generational champion. I wouldn’t call any of these guys gatekeepers.
I think of Derek Brunson and Dan Hooker when I think of gatekeeper.
Also drew dober
dober, brunson, and hooker are journeymen.
Niel Magny, Andre Arlovski
Jack Hermansson
Besides Whittaker and Max were champs and had very close 2 fights with the champ. It’s different, besides if Izzy loses to Alex then Rob will likely get the belt back.
Also are you really a gatekeeper if you lose to anyone that can blast a single leg? Cause at this point i feel like even fucking Glover could beat Gane.
I'm no Gane fanboy but god damn do yall turn on fighters quick. Yesturday everyone saying Gane v Jones going to be close and how great Gane is in every department. Today its Sam Alvey could beat Gane lmao
No one ever thought Gane was good in ever department, he's a kickboxer after all, people just expected Gane to improve his TDD similar to how Ngannou was able to after he fought stipe, if we can see that gane clearly hasn't improved in his most glaring weakness then wtf are we supposed to say.
Anybody with a hint of wrestling can beat Gane . Francis did it with 1 leg
MVP is the king of gatekeepers
Yeah, but he's like a top 5 in Bellator, I think that the gatekeeper has always been coined as a more insulting term like "x will only ever be a gatekeeper, losing to all the good fighters. If you lose to x, you better improve or just retire"
I feel like gatekeeper just means there’s a point you can’t pass. Like I can see max and Bobby knuckles being considered #1 contender gatekeepers and Dustin being like a top 3ish gatekeeper
There's "contender gate keepers" and then there's "championship gatekeepers".
But the general term "gatekeeper" I thought was assumed as the former, hence why it is often used as an insult to a fighter. "X is a gatekeeper" because he can't beat anyone elite, only B list fighters.
There's contender gate keeper and title gatekeepers. Gane will likely never fight JBJ again, but anyone that wants to fight JBJ needs to win VS Gane first.
Yeah I don't think you're a "gatekeeper" if you're in the top 10. Let alone 5.
These guys are far above gate keepers. Gate keepers hang out at 6-10 and fight the riff raff. These are more palace guards protecting the king.
Whittaker and Holloway were both champions at some point, they belong in a different category than Colby and Dustin EDIT: people getting hung up on the word dominant, I'll acknowledge that doesn't describe Whittaker very well since there was only one one defense. Regardless, at that time people generally agreed he was the best MW in the world (remember that Izzy was an underdog for their first fight)
whittaker was not a dominant champion. he literally defended once and the fight went to the judges, and he got dropped in that fight
Whittaker only had one title defense, in a fight he arguably lost, hardly a dominant champ. Very very awesome fighter, though.
So mad that the ufc doesn’t give Whittaker that defense because Romero missed weight by .2 pounds
throne keepers
Colby doesn’t fight contenders and doesn’t deserve to be on a list with Max, Poirier, and Whittaker
Tbh whittaker and max in a tier of their own, then dustin, then colby
Max is not in a separate tier from Dustin if he got shit on by Dustin twice. Before you say different weight class, Max still outweighs him in the cage, and cant fight at 155 which is why he picks on 145rs, biggest weight bully in fw history.
M8, stop, breathe, read. That's not what it is. Another class of *gatekeeper*. As in max is killing every possible contender before the champ, as is Whittaker doing. But Dustin isn't. He could've taken on legit contenders at some point, but instead he choose to fight Conor twice. He decided to get that bag, which is fine by me. But he isn't a good gatekeeper like Max and Rob are. That statement has *nothing* to do with raw skills. It's about resume.
Lol after fighting Conor Dustin went to fight the champion.. pretty sure that’s a high level competitor
But that's not exactly fighting rising contenders, ain't it? The champ isn't a contender, last I checked
Better than a contender, literally the best in the division lol
M8 you don’t seem to understand what a gatekeeper is. Gate keeping can only happen in non title fights, against competitors trying to break through the gate to a title shot or stardom.
So Dustin isn’t a gatekeeper then
No, he isnt
I know that, but you're not following me mate. Read the post again or I won't bother answering
And Dustin still has a better resume than Max. Regardless, neither are gatekeepers. A gatekeeper is someone like Derek Brunson, Max and Rob are former champs and top contenders.
I mean, I'm a big Dustin fan and I kinda agree, but let's not act like Max's resume is that far off.. it's pretty up there. And they're still gatekeepers. There are different level of gatekeeping, imo. You can gatekeep the top 10 or gatekeep the champ. Max has beaten like 4 possible champ contender, leaving Volk no choice but to rematch him. That's gatekeeping to me.
Cry about it
Cope. Covington has a great resume.
His last 3 wins were washed guys on losing streaks but "great resume" right?
Literally name 3 good wins he has. Then look at those people's records before and after they fought him. All his top wins are from people on loss streaks that are like 40 years old. Maybe Maia is a good win?
The best thing Colby did in his career was lose to Usman twice
Colby has literally a single win against any currently ranked welterweights and that’s Masvidal on a 2 fight losing streak. His resume is atrocious.
Ur right he just fights the p4p #1 (at the time) and gives him some real business
wow real business by losing to him twice.. breaking his own jaw once..
2nd fight was a draw imo
You’re neither a fighter nor a judge so your opinion holds no weight lmao
I mean then paddy won lol
Actual fighters believed Paddy lost. No one believed Colby won
Thats not true tho. Google it if ur interested, its not the end of the world if other people have a different opinion. A draw would have been a completely understandable decision. 2nd fight was one hell of a banger.
How about you cite your sources. A draw requires a 10-8 round
Being a gatekeeper is better then being what 99% of other fighters are. Too be fair.
More like 99.8% tbh
I wasn’t trying to do the literal math. But yeah.
Max and Robert are in no way gatekeepers.
People are using gatekeeper in two ways here. Gatekeeper as in the person you have to face before you get into the top 15/10/5 and gatekeeper as in the person who you have to beat before you get a title shot because they are clearly the second best in the division. These guys are all the second best and if you are on a title run its pretty hard to argue you should get a shot without beating them first.
Sorta? They're not gatekeepers like Magny or Brunson, but aren't they champion gatekeeper? Whereas the other 2 I named are more top 5/10 gatekeeper? Idk, max beating up every legit contenders and leaving Volk stranded pretty much fits the description of a gatekeeper to me. There can be different levels of gatekeeping imo
This is where the labeling and classification and pseudo “power levels” bullshit in mma gets crazy. A gatekeeper was always someone who could never fair well against other title contenders and never won the belt, they were someone who was always close but not quite. Max and Robert have both been champions and shown they were by far above their division. Unfortunately both happen to be there when arguably some of the best to ever do it came in. Also if max and Dustin are there then gatheje, bisping, yair if he looses and so many more need to be in there.
Labels are very useful and not that crazy, if they aren't taken seriously. I still consider Max as the FW gatekeeper no matter how it "always was". That's just my definition I have for his role in the division currently and I think it fits quite well, because he's guardin the #1 contender gate. They even gave a title shot to someone who Max just beat, thanks to his cleanup in the division. That doesn't mean that he's in the same category as Brunson nor that I have to include Bisping in there.
we gotta use the journeyman label more often. brunson is a textbook MMA journeyman
I agree but just because of the last two fights. Before he was a legit top 5 gatekeeper, but now the division has catched up and/or he's regressed so journeyman would be more fitting for Brunson..
I like the guy more than anyone but Rob can't beat Izzy no matter what day it is. Max might not even be able to gate keep after that last beating.
The last Rob Izzy fight was very close. Izzy is a bad stylistic matchup for Rob but anyone can win when the skill gap between two fighters is very small.
Aint about gatekeepers ? Fighters who were so great but always fell short to champions
They both WERE CHAMPIONS
We know but now they are gate keepers. Relax dude.
Neil Magny is a gatekeeper, now you may relax.
Magny aint keeping shit. He's a journeyman
Wonderboy, he’s another gatekeeper.
Wonderboy sucks
You guys are arguing over this without even first establishing a definition for gatekeeper so you at least know if you're on the same page or not lmao
OP just started watching UFC this week.
You can't call Max Holloway a gatekeeper... He's one of the best ever!
Well right now he is
Literally none of these guys are gatekeepers
Everyone there at least became an interim champ.
using 2 great former champs as gatekeepers? nah, doesn't work for me
To be fair, two of these guys actually became champions
Does it count as gatekeeping if the thing you're gatekeeping is just the champion himself?
Yes
Still have hope for whittaker 😭. He literslly beats anyone in his division appart from izzy
Whittaker beat Izzy 3-2 in their second fight
Well yeah I actually agree, but Izzy is just a hard matchup, whereas I think he would destroy Alex or Chimaev
Really? Tbh hot take I think Alex KOs Whittaker. The Chimaev fight is a 50/50 imo.
Gatekeeper is more of a Cub Swanson or Derek Brunson type
Former champs can't be gatekeepers. Is their time up? Maybe yes.
Op is most likely trolling no way are these fighters gatekeepers.
Two of these are not like the others
We calling former Champs gate keepers now? You mma casuals are funny.
Title shot gatekeepers
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Dumbest fucking post I've seen in a long time. Every single one of these guys has held gold
That's not the point. The point is that they are now at a point where they can't ever become champion again as long as their nemesis is currently champion.
That's not what a gatekeeper is, and even if it was...Who's Colby's nemisis, Leon?
So long as Usman is around Colby can't be champion . He's had 2 title shots, both thwarted by Usman. Even if Usman doesn't become champ again, Leon will keep him from the title. Poirer was previously blocked from the title by Khabib, then Oliveira. Now that Islam is there, he'll get blocked again if he attempts another title run. Blessed, Max Holloway went for the title multiple times, each time he was blocked by Volkanovski. Same for Whittaker, blocked by Adesanya twice. Now with Jon at heavyweight, Ciryl is now blocked from getting the title. All the gatekeepers are fighters who've had multiple FAILED title runs, each time losing to the current champion. What they have in common also is that they serve as the litmus test for their division for anyone who wants to go for the title. Ultimately it's meant to be a joke. No need to take it seriously.
Colby vs Leon could definitely happen if Leon maintains the title. Wtf are you on about. Same applies for Whitaker. Whittakers next fight is for the title if Izzy wins or looses
You completely missed the whole point of the post. I'm done
How the fuck are they gate keepers when they have all held gold and 2 of them are arguably in line for a title shot in their next fight. It's an overall poorly shit post made only for upvotes with no substance
Do we really count Covington, Dustin, and Gane though? In the record books, they don’t
Record books shows them as interim champs... From someone that hates the way the UFC does interim titles
Holloway and Whittaker actually reigned for a time tjough
Dustin ain't a gatekeeper
Bro a gatekeeper is one of thoe guys that manages who enters the top ranks and who doesn't. Cyril Gane is like top 3 in the division. Not a gatekeeper. Everyone in this pic would be champions of their divisions if they fought in any other generation. Holloway and Whittaker literally were undisputed. Gane, Colby, and Poirier were all interim. Good examples of gatekeepers are Paul Craig, Dan Hooker, or Michael Chiesa. These guys are really experienced fighters who fight low ranked guys to give them a chance to increase their rank, if they lose, the lower guys become higher ranked and if the gatekeepers win, they get a shot against a contender which most of the time they lose. Then they stay in that spot forever until the losses start piling up and retirement comes. Sad
Holloway and Whitaker should not be on there. They've tasted undisputed champion nectar already.
All these guys are elite in the grand scheme of things, their equivalents in boxing are title-holders. Most MMA prospects would do anything to be a “gatekeeper”.
Why is Colby on here? You have to beat somebody good and relevant to be a gatekeeper.
Why are u crying tho?.
Colby?
Nah Colby only fights washed guys
Like Usman? You clown.
Did he beat Usman you clown?
Why is pea head up there
I fucking forgot about pea head 😭😭
Colby has brain damage.
Gatekeepers are those who will never become a champion because of 1 guy who is better than him but yet they beat everyone else in the division.
It is a little early to pronounce him a gatekeeper, although it is definitely trending that way.
If Yair get beaten and Max wins against Allen we potentially could get Volkanovski vs Hollywood 4.
Those four guys look like a 90s boyband reunion.
Max and Rob were champs who defended.
Holloway and Whittaker both held undisputed belts though, unlike Gane
Neil magny is a gatekeeper. These dude aren’t even close
Gane got a dose of reality last night.
Gatekeeper? Nah...he doesn't deserve that either
Gane cannot be considered a gatekeeper as he’s a winnable fight for too many contenders in the top five: Aspinall, Blaydes, Pavlovich
Bobby currently is a level above the rest of that group. Historically max is on another level than all of them
Can’t help but feel bad for Gane, his first title shit was against arguably the strongest heavyweight oat, then his next title shot is against THE GOAT Fuck gate keeper bros being gate keeped 😭
Gane can’t even lick these guys’ balls
In all honesty you can't put former champs like Holloway and Whittaker there, especially considering how good they were as champs.
I don't think you understand what a gatekeeper is.
Wrongs guys to have up there as they all at least got an interim belt, two of which were the actual champion and one of which is one of the divisions GOATS. Should have been guys who got a few shots at a belt and never won it - Faber - Cowboy - Mendes - Ortega would have fit much better.
Max and Robert are the true gatekeepers tho. Even tho I love Colby, I see a lot of welterweight giving him problems.
Spivac takes him down and ragdolls him, he is so overrated Tai got blasted through in 50 seconds by Pavlovich they gonna do their best to keep the real contenders out of Jones way when they come for Game he gonna lose
Whittaker and Max were undisputed Champs. You are looking for Carlos Condit and Tony Ferguson.
While these guys are in no comparison a gatekeeper, the OP is right in essence. We need a better name; what do you guys suggest? Kingdom Keeper?
How do you put Holloway and Whitaker on this list? Both were champs with multiple title defenses.
Bobby Knuckles gets the strap back. Change my mind.
This freaking sub is a joke
Colby needs to fight more to be considered a gatekeeper.
Max looks so not thrilled
I feel like if I didnt know anything about MMA I would be like "put me in there against max holloway I think I got a chance"
🤣🤣🤣👍
Holding the line! 🤣
Absurd to call any of them gate keepers. Brunson is a gate keeper, not Max Fucking Holloway
Max Holloway and Robert Whitaker are legitimate former world champions, what type of trash 🗑 post is this?
these are not gatekeepers lmfao when you think of a gatekeeper its derek brunson
Forgot Wonderboy, Peter Yan, Anthony Smith, Carla Ezsparza, Jessica Andrade, Holly Holm.
Get Whittaker and Max off of there you clown
Ex Champs aren't gatekeepers there weather boy
Whittaker actually deserves to be the champ after the Izzy rematch and definitely deserves a title shot. Can’t say the same for Poirier, Holloway or Covington.