When I first heard of Topps teaming up with the UFC, I was excited. Being a huge MMA fan, and a former sports card addict, I had mixed feelings about my own participation in collecting these cards.
Needless to say, once the time was close, I contacted a local store in Nashville, Tennessee to the get the scoop. They were expecting them to hit by February 24th, so I waited for that day hoping I may get a chance to get a pack or two a day early, as they were to hit the shelves of hobby stores on the 25th.
I called, they were in, and the rest is history. They only had two boxes, and I handed my debit card over like a kid buying candy with his allowance. On the way back to work I kept wondering, will I get those tickets that are randomly inserted? Will the $200 I just dropped result in anything exciting?
The truth is, the excitement was at a fevered pitch as I got back to my desk with the boxes in hand. I decided to open one box and keep one sealed. I promised! Well, long story short, I quickly found myself glancing right over the regular cards looking for a piece of the good stuff… and the very next day, I opened box #2.
Blah, Blah, Blah… let’s see what we got! 3 autographs a box: Diego Sanchez, Josh Burkman, Heath Herring, Wilson Gouveia, Matt Serra, and the crown jewel, Red Autograph B.J. Penn (1 of 25).
3 Relics a box: Royce Gracie Ultimate Gear (1 of 500), Lyoto Machida Mat Relic, Anderson Silva Parallel Mat Relic (1 of 288), Quinton Jackson Mat Relic, Yushin Okami Mat Relic, and a Clay Guida Ultimate Gear. Peep the pics:
By: Denny Hodge
Great article Denny.if they do a relic of Brock Lesnar’s gloves there will probably by 5,000 cards from one pair of gloves.
Hey those are some sweet pulls! I have yet to get my hands on this product, but I imagine that it’s popularity will only continue to grow. Cool cards!
I’ve been looking for that BJ PENN. Are you selling it?