Why this is the rookie
TCDB flags two Ngannou cards RC, both from 2017-dated sets: Topps Chrome UFC #78 (released September 20, 2017) and Museum Collection #13 (released February 28, 2018). Chrome came out first. Collectibles.com also lists Chrome #78 as his RC, and TCDB has no earlier Ngannou card.
His first trading card, in the first Topps Chrome UFC set (released September 20, 2017 per TCDB). It came out less than two years after his December 2015 UFC debut. TCDB lists refractors from Green /99 down to SuperFractor 1/1.
SportsCardsPro's details field and Sports Card Investor's list do not mark any Ngannou card as a rookie. Sellers often call 2021 Prizm #52 a 'rookie', but it is not RC-flagged.
Identifying it
- Card #78 of 100
- Nameplate 'FRANCIS NGANNOU / HEAVYWEIGHT'
- Base is non-refractor chrome. Refractor and X-Fractor are unnumbered, so compare the finish
What gets mistaken for it
| What you'll read | What's true |
|---|---|
| Unnumbered Refractor or X-Fractor sold as base | Both are unnumbered parallels. The base card has no rainbow sheen. |
| 2017 Museum Collection #13 is his first card | Museum #13 is also RC-flagged, but TCDB dates its release to February 28, 2018, five months after Chrome. |
Parallels
Grading & population
Population figures will be taken directly from the grading companies and dated when they are. None are shown yet.
Sources & research Verified×2
Every factual claim on this page, the evidence behind it, and an honest confidence level. Where sources disagree the disagreement is kept, not quietly resolved.
Francis Ngannou's rookie card: 2017 Topps Chrome UFC #78 — Francis Ngannou.
TCDB flags two Ngannou cards RC, both from 2017-dated sets: Topps Chrome UFC #78 (released September 20, 2017) and Museum Collection #13 (released February 28, 2018). Chrome came out first. Collectibles.com also lists Chrome #78 as his RC, and TCDB has no earlier Ngannou card.
- Trading Card Database2017 Topps Chrome UFC #78 Francis Ngannou, accessed September 21, 2026
- 2017 Topps Museum Collection UFC, accessed September 21, 2026
- Collectibles.com2017 Topps UFC Chrome #78 RC Francis Ngannou, accessed September 21, 2026
- Trading Card DatabaseFrancis Ngannou cards, accessed September 21, 2026
- Trading Card DatabaseFrancis Ngannou cards — 2017, accessed September 21, 2026
- SportsCardsProFrancis Ngannou #78 — 2017 Topps UFC Chrome, accessed September 21, 2026
2017 Topps Chrome UFC #78 — Francis Ngannou.
- Trading Card Database2017 Topps Chrome UFC #78 Francis Ngannou, accessed September 21, 2026
- Trading Card DatabaseFrancis Ngannou cards — 2017, accessed September 21, 2026
- Collectibles.com2017 Topps UFC Chrome #78 RC Francis Ngannou, accessed September 21, 2026
- SportsCardsProFrancis Ngannou #78 — 2017 Topps UFC Chrome, accessed September 21, 2026
Go deeper
- The card record2017 Topps Chrome UFC #78
- Francis Ngannou archiveKey cards and eras
- 2017 Topps Chrome UFCSet record