Born and raised in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, Gates began training in mixed martial arts in 2004.
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.
[2] 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.
[5] In a quick turnaround, Gates faced Dustin Ortiz on August 8, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 73, filling in for an injured Ian McCall.
In his first bout post UFC release, Gates faced Andre Ewell in September 2017, losing by a rear-naked choke submission at KOTC: Never Quit.