Topps Trading cards, the manufacturer of the soon to be released UFC Round 1 cards, has a treat in store for all in attendance for UFC 94, Penn vs. St. Pierre 2. Every fan at UFC 94 will receive a special sample pack containing exclusive versions of BJ Penn’s and GSP’s base (not an autograph or special insert) card.
This will be the first time fans will have a chance to get their hands on the much anticipated UFC Round 1 cards. The cards will feature both Georges St. Pierre and B.J. Penn pictured in their first matchups in the Octagon.
The cards will be of GSP vs. Karo Parysian at UFC 46 and The Prodigy’s will be of him facing Joey Gilbert at UFC 31. Topps representatives will also be on hand to gather feedback from fans at the event.
When released, the set will include limited edition autographed cards of your favorite UFC stars, past and present, as well as limited edition “Own the Octagon” cards. The “Own the Octagon” cards are a subset of cards containing actual peices of UFC mats that were used in actual UFC fights from such stars as current LightHeavyweight Champion, Rashad Evans, as well as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, The Ultimate Fighter 3 winner, Michael Bisping, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria, and current UFC MiddleWeight Champ, Anderson “The Spider” Silva.
As for the base, or regular issue, card set, Topps has decided to feature 90 UFC stars, past and present, in their initial Octagon appearances, such as Royce Gracie defeating Art Jimmerson at UFC 1. They did this as to represent “true” rookie card status for their initial set release.
The UFC Round 1 trading cards will not be limited to UFC fighters alone. They will also include many UFC Personalities, such as “The Voice of the Octagon” Bruce Buffer, The UFC Ring Girls, Referee Herb Dean, and last, and certainly not least, UFC President, Dana White.
The full set will include UFC 1 thru UFC 91 and the breakdown is as follows:
100 Base Cards (90 fighters and 10 Personalities)
Parallel Cards-1 per pack(Red Parallel 1 of 1!!! Black Parallel individually numbered 888 or less)
Gold Parallel Cards-?????
Autograph Cards-????
Own the Octagon Cards-????
The official release date has yet to be set, but is rumored to be available as early as mid February.