Career
Early career
Born and raised in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, Gates began training in mixed martial arts in 2004. He made his professional debut as a lightweight in October 2008 where he competed in several regional promotions. Gates fought predominantly in his native state of California where he amassed a record of 11–4, competing primarily in the bantamweight division before joining the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Gates made his promotional debut as a short notice replacement for an injured Jussier Formiga against John Moraga on December 13, 2014 at UFC on Fox 13.
He lost the back-and-forth fight via submission in the third round. Gates faced Darrell Montague on July 12, 2015 at The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale.
In a quick turnaround, Gates faced Dustin Ortiz on August 8, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 73, filling in for an injured Ian McCall. He lost the fight via TKO in the third round.
