Why this is the rookie
TCDB's Khabib profile begins in 2012 with a single card, Bloodlines #12 (plus its parallels), and flags it RC. Cardboard Connection's 2012 Bloodlines checklist lists him at #12 (release date December 7, 2012). Sports Card Specialist calls it "Khabib's very first issued UFC card" and his true rookie. eBay/PSA listings also sell the Black /88 as an RC. His UFC debut was January 20, 2012, and TCDB lists no Khabib card before this one.
This is the Khabib rookie, and every source FightCardboard checked agrees on it. It is his only 2012 issue, released December 7, 2012, eleven months after his UFC debut, and the only Khabib card TCDB flags RC.
The sources in the file agree on Bloodlines #12, but three other cards get sold or described as his rookie: the 2013 Finest UFC #22 (a second-year card with no RC flag), the 2014 Topps UFC Knockout autograph KA-KN /149 (his first certified auto, not his first card), and the 2021 Panini Prizm UFC #181 (a post-retirement Panini card; some eBay titles lean on the set's 'Debut Edition' tag, but Collectibles.com marks it "Rookie Card: No" and TCDB's 2021 Prizm rookie list leaves him out).
Identifying it
- Card number 12 printed on the back
- 2012 Topps UFC Bloodlines base design (150-card base set)
- Unnumbered base. Serial-numbered versions are parallels (see below)
- eBay listing describes the front photo as two fighters mid-punch
What gets mistaken for it
| What you'll read | What's true |
|---|---|
| 2013 Finest UFC #22 is the rookie. | Second-year card, released September 11, 2013 (TCDB). Sports Card Specialist positions it as the entry-level alternative to the rookie. It has no RC flag. |
| 2014 Topps UFC Knockout Autographs #KA-KN is the rookie. | His first certified autograph, not his first card. |
| 2021 Panini Prizm UFC #181 is the rookie. | His first Panini Prizm base card, issued after he retired. Collectibles.com marks it "Rookie Card: No", TCDB's 2021 Prizm rookie list leaves him out, and Sports Card Specialist lists Panini cards as non-rookie. Some eBay titles call it a 'Debut Edition', but no source FightCardboard checked calls it an RC. |
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.
Khabib Nurmagomedov's rookie card: 2012 Topps UFC Bloodlines #12 — Khabib Nurmagomedov.
TCDB's Khabib profile begins in 2012 with a single card, Bloodlines #12 (plus its parallels), and flags it RC. Cardboard Connection's 2012 Bloodlines checklist lists him at #12 (release date December 7, 2012). Sports Card Specialist calls it "Khabib's very first issued UFC card" and his true rookie. eBay/PSA listings also sell the Black /88 as an RC. His UFC debut was January 20, 2012, and TCDB lists no Khabib card before this one.
2012 Topps UFC Bloodlines #12 — Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Go deeper
- The card record2012 Topps UFC Bloodlines #12
- Khabib Nurmagomedov archiveKey cards and eras
- 2012 Topps UFC BloodlinesSet record