The Gatekeeper of Every UFC Weight Division

It was 18 years ago when the Ultimate Fighting Championship was first established as an organization in the sport of mixed martial arts.

A lot has changed since then, as the UFC has quickly become an elite contender in the world of sports through the rapid growth it's undergone over the past several years.

And, like any organization, the UFC consists of world class athletes.

Some of these athletes have risen to the top, declaring themselves champion, while others are in the process of becoming contenders.

The UFC is also home to the fighters we like to refer to as "The Gatekeepers."

So, the following slides display the gatekeeper of every UFC weight division.

Let's take a look.

Bantamweight: Takeya Mizugaki

Takeya Mizugaki established himself as the gatekeeper of the bantamweight division when he joined forces with the WEC in 2009.

Mizugaki has recently made the transition to the UFC where he continues to hold this reputation.

Over the course of his career, Mizugaki has defeated the opponents he's expected to, but has fallen short of any elite competition, establishing himself as the 135-pound gatekeeper.

Featherweight: Leonard Garcia

Much like Mizugaki, Leonard Garcia spent time fighting in the WEC before making the move to the UFC near the end of 2011.

And, Garcia has been recognized as the gatekeeper ever since.

While Garcia is certainly one of the more entertaining and exciting 145-pound fighters, it's likely his inability to defeat legitimate opponents is his past few bouts will continue over the course of his career.

Lightweight: Clay Guida

Clay Guida may very well be the definition of the gatekeeper for the entire UFC, as he's established himself as a legitimate force, but fails to get over the last hurdle.

Guida may be the most exciting and passionate fighter in all of mixed martial arts but continues to fall short when it counts.

"The Carpenter" recently fell short to Ben Henderson at UFC on FOX I, solidifying his gatekeeper position.

Welterweight: Dan Hardy

At one point in his career, Dan Hardy was considered to be one of the most dangerous fighters in the UFC, as he won four consecutive fights en route to earning himself a welterweight title shot.

Following his loss to George St-Pierre at UFC 111, Hardy never full recovered as he went on to lose three straight bouts.

Hardy has since established himself as the 170-pound gatekeeper.

Middleweight: Demian Maia

Demian Maia is one of the most respected men in all of mixed martial arts.

However, despite earning himself a middleweight title fight against Anderson Silva at UFC 112, Maia proved that he wasn't ready to be fighting for a title.

Maia's career reflects that of a gatekeeper, as its likely he'll never be a legitimate contender again.

Light Heavyweight: Stephan Bonnar

When Stephan Bonnar is on, he has potential to be one of the best fighters in the light heavyweight division of the UFC.

However, that hasn't always been the case as he's recently fallen from the 205-pound rankings to face mid-tier opponents.

It's very likely that Bonnar will never be a legitimate contender in the light heavyweight division as he is surely the gatekeeper.

Heavyweight: Cheick Kongo

Over the course of his career, Cheick Kongo has showed signs of greatness, as he has recently moved up to heavyweight rankings.

However, Kongo recently got matched up with Mark Hunt who's lost six of his last eight bouts.

While Kongo has had recent success in the 265-pound weight division, he's proven to be nothing more than a gatekeeper.

For additional information, follow Garrett Derr on Twitter.