The “gate keeper” is a fighter that is good enough to be one of the top fighters in the division, but not good enough to beat the elite few on top. They will likely never be a champion, but they will never be without an important fight or spot within the UFC. Here are who I see as the gate keepers in the UFC.

Flyweight – Ian McCall: McCall is a great flyweight, but already has proven that he can’t compete with the likes of Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez. He just doesn’t have the skills to break into the top.

Bantamweight – Urijah Faber: Faber is a tremendous talent, but he was clearly outclassed by Renan Barao and lost his last fight with Dominick Cruz. Faber is just a step to slow to earn the title.

Featherweight – Dustin Poirier: “The Diamond” is a great fighter, but he hasn’t been able to get the job done in his toughest fights. He will always be in discussion as a top-5 featherweight, but not able to get any higher.

Lightweight – Jim Miller: Miller has tremendous heart and wrestling ability, but he can’t quite get to the mountain top. If a contender isn’t cut for the elite status, Miller will prove it.

Welterweight – Jake Ellenberger: Ellenberger seemed primed for a title shot with a win over Rory MacDonald, but he failed to take his talents to that next level. He can beat most of the division, but not the very best.

Middleweight – Yushin Okami: As said previously, Okami is a tough guy to get past, but if you can, it puts you in the 185-pound title picture.

Light Heavyweight – Antonio Rogerio Nogueira: Lil Nog is a talented fighter, but doesn’t really show anything to make you feel like he could actually be the 205-pound champion. He has some big wins, but some bad losses. If someone is going to be a champ in this division, they have to get through him.

Heavyweight – Antonio Silva: Silva proved he can’t be the champion of this division, getting hammered by Cain Velasquez on two occasions now. However, he owns wins over guys like Fedor and Alistair Overeem. Silva is no easy victory, but he doesn’t have the total package to be champ.

Here is a look at three different UFC events that have added to their cards.

– UFC 140 in Toronto go its main event as heavyweights Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will have their rematch. The two met back at UFC 92 with Mir handing Nogueira his first stoppage loss. Mir KO’d Big Nog in the second round. Nogueira claimed a staph infection hindered his abilities and has been seeking a rematch since. Mir has won his last two fights and looking to get back into the title hunt with a win while Nogueira is coming off his KO win over Brendan Schaub at UFC Rio. UFC 140 also added Tito Ortiz vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Brian Ebersole vs. Rory MacDonald to the lineup.

– UFC 139 picked up a big fight as middleweight Vitor Belfort will return to action when he takes on former Strikeforce champion, Cung Le. This will be a battle of perhaps the two fastest strikers in all of MMA. Le hasn’t fought since June of 2010, when he KO’d Scott Smith to avenge his only loss. Belfort is coming off a KO win over Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133. This fight should come down to which fighter strikes first.

– Jon Fitch will make his long-awaited return to the octagon at UFC 141 when he faces off with Johny Hendricks. Fitch hasn’t competed since February when he had a draw against B.J. Penn. Fitch had shoulder surgery that put him on the shelf for a while. Fitch hasn’t lost since his 2008 title fight with Georges St. Pierre. Hendricks has one loss in his career, to Rick Story back in December of 2010. He has won his last two fights, but is facing the toughest opponent of his career when he squares off with Fitch.

Rashad Evans did as I expected and beat Tito Ortiz, but his performance was very impressive and it made me consider putting him on top of the list.

You have to consider the quality of opponents that Evans has over Jones. Granted, Jones has been unphased in any fight. But, he also hasn’t fought the best of the best throughout his career.

Still, I left Jones on top for now, but No. 2 is a lot closer than he was a few months ago.

1. Jon Jones (13-1): Jones will defend his UFC championship next month against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, in his biggest fight to date. Jones has yet to face any adversity, but a win over Jackson would prove that he can handle almost anyone in MMA. Wrestling will likely be the key in this one, as I don’t think Jones will want to slug it out with Rampage.

2. Rashad Evans (16-1-1): Evans bulked up in his time away from fighting and he looks like a determined fighter. He seems angry based on what happened with Greg Jackson and Jones, and it seems to have improved his skills as opposed to hurt them. Evans is next in line for a title shot. Only time will tell if he and Jones will finally square off.

3. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (32-8): Rampage has had some issues away from the cage, having his trainer decided to leave camp over “creative differences.” Still, Rampage says he is ready to go. He will face a fighter unlike anything he has really seen. It will be interesting to see how Rampage plans to attack Jones at UFC 135.

4. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (19-5): Shogun looks to avenge his loss to Forrest Griffin later this month at UFC 134. If he does, he may be right back in line for a title shot. The key to Rua’s UFC career has been his cardio, as he has not looked sharp when pushed into a fast pace.

5. Lyoto Machida (17-2): Machida declined to take on Evans on short notice for UFC 133, and that may have hurt his standing with Dana White. His impressive win over Randy Couture at UFC 129 seemed to put him at No. 2 in the title contender’s list, but perhaps Machida will have to win another fight or two to get back in the title picture.

6. Phil Davis (9-0): We didn’t get to see Davis contend with Evans, and that is probably a good thing for “Mr. Wonderful.” Davis needs to slowly build on his career, as he can’t try to take on too much too soon. He still needs to improve on his striking and not be a one dimensional fighter.

7. Forrest Griffin (18-6): Griffin has a chance to prove his win over Shogun back at UFC 76 was not a fluke. An ever improving ground game and a annoying style of striking makes Griffin a tough opponent for many. Shogun struggled with the fast pace of the fight, and I suspect that Griffin will have to push a similar pace in order to win. The more he allows Shogun to set his feet, the more likely he is to be KO’d.

8. Dan Henderson (28-8): Henderson showed he still has a lot to offer in MMA as he stopped Fedor Emelianenko in a heavyweight contest. The UFC seems set to bring him back into the octagon with his Strikeforce contract running out. Henderson will still have a big climb to get to the UFC title, but his hands and wrestling combination make him a dangerous opponent.

9. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (19-5): Lil’ Nog was set to take on Rich Franklin at UFC 133, but an injury forced him off the card. Nogueira is somewhat stuck in a funk after a loss to Phil Davis in his last contest. He still is an exciting fighter with a lot of talent, but fighting off his back has proven to become costly for him. He needs a decisive win in his next bout.

10. Rich Franklin (28-6): Like Nogueira, Franklin is in a bit of a standstill in his career. He isn’t near the top contender spot in the division, but he is still a draw and an elite-level fighter. He has traded wins and losses in his last six fights, but hasn’t been easily defeated by anyone outside of Anderson Silva. Franklin-Henderson II could be an interesting bout for the UFC to put on since the first fight was so close. Franklin can’t really afford another loss, or his career may be up.

Here is a look at how I see the top 10 in the 205-pound division in MMA. (Click here to see other weight class rankings)

1. Jon Jones (13-1): Jones is still the leader of the pack but now seems to finally have his next opponent finalized. It looks to be Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, in what will be a very tough fight. Jones may struggle to move the large Jackson and in punch-for-punch power, he probably doesn’t have the edge against his veteran opponent.

2. Rashad Evans (15-1-1): Rashad Evans is still the No. 1 contender in my eyes as he disposed of Jackson in his last fight and was set to challenge for the title before suffering a minor knee injury. Now set to face rising star, Phil Davis, Evans will have to prove that he can still hang with the best after more than a year away form action.

3. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (32-8): Rampage looked good but not great in his decision win over Matt Hamill. He landed some good punches on Hamill and stuffed each of his takedown attempts. While Hamill has a good wrestling background, he lacked the explosive takedown attempts that Jackson will see against the likes of Evans, Jones, or even a Ryan Bader.

4. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (19-5): Shogun is working his way back to action as he will face Forrest Griffin in a rematch of UFC 96. That will take place at UFC 134 in Rio and provide Shogun the chance to prove that he can be champion again one day. His biggest challenge is being able to keep pace with the elite fighters in this division.

5. Lyoto Machida (17-2): Despite a very impressive KO win over Randy Couture, there isn’t much room for Machida to move up. Shogun had his number in two fights in my opinion, and Jackson was able to do enough to earn a decision win over him. Machida is still perhaps the most dangerous opponent in the whole division as one sudden move from him can end the fight.

6. Phil Davis (9-0): Davis has the chance to show he can be in the top 5 when he takes on Evans in the main event of UFC 133. It will be a meeting of two strong wrestlers and force Davis to show that he can strike with some of the elite fighters in the UFC. I don’t see Davis’ wrestling being better than Evans, so he will have to be creative with his gameplan.

7. Ryan Bader (12-1): Bader is still lying in the weeds after his loss to Jon Jones last winter. He will now face Tito Ortiz at UFC 132, which gives him a chance to beat a legend. Bader can become a real threat if he develops his striking and becomes more than a one-dimensional fighter.

8. Forrest Griffin (18-6): Griffin is a guy that you can’t take lightly, but he just doesn’t have a style that wows you either. Though he was once champion, I don’t really see a scenario where he will wear the title again. He has a chance to beat Shogun for a second time at UFC 134, which would perhaps be the biggest accomplishment in his career to this point.

9. Dan Henderson (27-8): Henderson is the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion, but don’t look for the UFC to be in a rush to put him in the octagon anytime soon. Next up for Hendo is Fedor Emelianenko in a non-title heavyweight clash. The fight gives Henderson a chance to lay claim to being one of the best ever in any weight class.

10. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (19-5): This spot was formerly held by Matt Hamill but I was disappointed by his lackluster showing against Rampage, as I expected him to be more competitive. Filling his spot was tough, but I decided to go with Lil Nog’ as he has some accomplished wins in his career and he losses come to some of the guys already ahead of him in this list. He will face off with Rich Franklin at UFC 133, which will be an interesting showdown to two strikers with unique styles. Both men need to win that fight to stay truly relevant in the division.

The most notable fight will take place at UFC 133 in August from Philadelphia where light heavyweights Rich Franklin and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira will collide.

Both fighters are coming off decision losses in their last fight. Franklin was beaten by Forrest Griffin at UFC 126 while Nogeuira was beaten by Phil Davis at UFC Fight Night 24 by decision.

This fight will be important for both men as each is struggling to stay relevant in the always-growing light heavyweight division. It should be a kickboxing contest, as both men are known for their striking.

Another fight that has been made is newly-signed Jason “Mayhem” Miller taking on Aaron Simpson at UFC 132 on July 2 from Las Vegas.

Miller has won his last two fights, but not been in action since September 25 of last year. Simpson is coming off a decision win over Mario Miranda at UFC Fight Night 24. That win ended a two-fight losing streak for Simpson. The bout should be a classic striker vs. grappler showdown and will be a good litmus test for where Miller fits in the UFC middleweight division.