Topps acquired the UFC trading-card licence in October 2008, according to Topps' own history of the line, and its first releases followed in 2009: Round 1 in February and Round 2 in September. Between them they hold the first UFC-licensed card of nearly every star from the promotion's first fifteen years, plus the Jon Jones rookie.
One correction to the usual story. Topps describes itself as "the first company to produce dedicated MMA sets". The 2006 PRIDE FC set, issued in Japan three years earlier, is described on TCDB as "the first ever full MMA set released". 2009 Topps UFC was first for the UFC, not for MMA.
Two products, two structures
Round 1 was released on 23 February 2009 (TCDB) with a 100-card base set; NSLists counts 102 including checklists. Nearly every card is a bout card: two fighters, one fight, one number. NSLists puts fighter pairings at 1–90 and referees, announcers and officials at 91–99. Parallels are Gold (unnumbered), Silver /288, a retail-only Black /888 and a Red 1/1, the last two recorded by NSLists alone.
Round 2 followed on 30 September 2009 (Cardboard Connection) with 150 cards. Cards 1–100 are solo portraits, 101–141 are bout cards and 142–150 cover cage staff such as Bruce Buffer, Herb Dean and cutman Stitch Duran (TCDB). Its parallels are Gold, a /188 that Cardboard Connection calls Onyx and other checklists call Silver, Ruby /8 and Diamond 1/1.
Why the bout cards matter
Round 1 built most of its checklist around UFC debuts, stamped with the date and event. That means a veteran's first licensed card often shows a fight that was years old by 2009. Randy Couture's #4 shows his UFC 13 win over Tony Halme from May 1997.
It also explains the RC flags. TCDB flags the Round 1 bout cards as rookies wholesale, from #1 Royce Gracie / Art Jimmerson onward. Veterans with earlier cards get the flag too, so on this set an RC flag is a starting point, not a verdict. Our rookie guides make the call fighter by fighter.
Whose rookies live here
- Jon Jones: Round 2 #101, a bout card with André Gusmão. His rookie, and the one settled case on this list.
- Georges St-Pierre: Round 1 #17 with Karo Parisyan is the working pick. A 2008 Donruss insert disputes it.
- Anderson Silva: Round 1 #46 is his first UFC-licensed card. Our working pick is the earlier 2006 PRIDE #003. His solo Round 2 #33 has no RC flag.
- Chuck Liddell: Round 1 #5 is the working pick. TCDB also flags Round 2 #39, and Cardboard Connection calls none of his 2009 cards official rookies.
- Randy Couture: Round 1 #4 is his first UFC-licensed card, not his rookie. That question points to 2006 Allen & Ginter, and it is disputed.
- BJ Penn: Round 1 #10, his UFC 31 debut against Joey Gilbert.
- Brock Lesnar: Round 1 #81 (with Frank Mir) is his first MMA card. His overall rookie is a 2002 Fleer WWE card.
- Matt Hughes: Round 1 #8 with Valeri Ignatov, chosen over Round 2 #27 because it came first.
- Nate Diaz: Round 1 #66 with Manny Gamburyan. #67 shows the same fight billed Gamburyan-first.
- Cain Velasquez: Round 1 #82, his UFC 83 debut against Brad Morris. Round 2 #61 is flagged too.
- Tito Ortiz: Round 1 #18 is a probable pick with a caveat: it shows Patrick Côté's debut, not his. He isn't in Round 2.
On Round 1, an RC flag tells you a fighter is in the set. It doesn't tell you the card is his rookie.
Round 1 or Round 2? Read the number
The two products get blurred constantly. Cardboard Connection files Round 2 under plain "2009 Topps UFC", and people drop the Round when they write listings. Round 1 stops at 100, so any 2009 Topps UFC base card numbered 101 or higher is Round 2. That is why Jones's #101 can't be a Round 1 card, however often it gets listed as one. Below 101, check whether the card shows one fighter or two: Round 2's first hundred are solo portraits, Round 1's are almost all pairs.
The first licensed signatures
Both products carried autographs, and several are firsts. Cardboard Connection calls Round 1 #A-GSP GSP's first signature in a UFC-licensed product. Round 2 gave Jones his first certified autograph, #FA-JJ, and Lesnar his first autographs, including #FA-BL. None of these is a rookie card; all are rookie-year pieces.
What is still unknown
Base print runs for both products are unknown, and we don't publish estimates. The base counts differ by source (100 or 102 for Round 1, 150 or 156 for Round 2) because of how checklists are counted. The Round 1 Black /888 and Red 1/1 rest on NSLists alone, and the Round 2 Bronze /88 that appears on some checklists has no confirmation for 2009. A scan of any of these would help settle them.
Sources
- ToppsTopps and UFC Card History
- Trading Card Database2009 Topps UFC Round 1 checklist
- Trading Card Database2009 Topps UFC Round 2 checklist
- Trading Card Database2006 Pride FC set
- NSListsUFC Round 1 (Topps, 2009) checklist
- NSListsUFC Round 2 (Topps, 2009) checklist
- Cardboard Connection2009 Topps UFC Round 2 Review
- Cardboard Connection10 Georges St-Pierre Cards That Pack a Serious Punch
