Yeah, I think he's in that range. He's never going to be champ, but if you're a chump, he'll knock you out. I look at it like this: Rate a fighter 1 through 10. If you rate him near a 5, he's probably a gatekeeper: either a young, journeyman type or a former champ/contender who has slid considerably. Liddell is certainly heading in that direction, and perhaps lower.
true but hes not your tipical gatekeeper in the sense gatekeepers usually arent good rich is just stuck at number 2 in the division.
I think by definition, the #2 can't be a gate keeper. Gate keepers bar the way to elite level of your weight class, not the champion-level.
keith is a top ten i never would say that a top ten is a gatekeeper. he beat chuck just before he was officially finished and he koed forrest as well as beat brandon vera. he got koed by wand which many people have and will be. and huston that was just a fluke. jardien is not a gatekeeper.
There was a time I considered Jardine a gatekeeper, but he's certainly moved himself into contender status with a few nice wins. Throw in the fact that Forrest Griffin of all people is champion...and Jardine rises above his status. If I had to rate Jardine on a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being Anderson Silva/Fedor and 1 being someone Kimbo Slice could beat), I would give him a 6.
I agree with you that Jardine is moving up. I think he just has tremendous work ethic. I don't see much talent in the guy but he improves every fight. He will be dominated by the likes of W.Silva every time but he will give a hard time to almost anyone else. I think he is kind of a gatekeeper but unlike Leben he is moving up the ladder.
You know I t hink with MMA, there is still a pro-wrestling vibe to it, and with the lack of events and fights, maybe not so mucn now. That to be a gatekeeper in MMA is a little easeir than boxing. And omg I just had an awsome though Kimbo vs Jardine. THat would rule. Cage style not contender style you know??
That is a fairly standard definition for gatekeeper. Since this is primarily a boxing site - guys like Zab Judah or at one time Ben Tackie - would be considered gatekeepers. By beating them - a prospect earned his way up the rankings possibly to the top ten and contender status.