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Working pick#31
Rookie research

Rashad Evans
Rookie Card Case

The candidates, the evidence for each, and which card FightCardboard treats as the working pick.

  • Working pick2009 Topps UFC Round 1 #31
  • SubjectRashad Evans / Brad Imes
  • Year2009
  • ManufacturerTopps
  • ConfidenceHigh confidence
  • Print runUnknown — not estimated
Verified×1High confidence×1Uncertain×1View sources & research

Why this is the working pick

2009 Topps UFC Round 1 #31 is his first card in a UFC-licensed product and the one the market treats as the rookie: eBay listings and the COMC catalogue title it 'Rashad Evans vs Brad Imes #31' with an RC / Rookie tag, and Jeff Allender's Round 1 checklist confirms the number and the subject pairing. Like the rest of the 2009 Topps UFC run it is a hobby convention rather than a league-designated RC — SportsCardsPro's own data field says 'not a rookie card' for #31, #44 and #61 alike, and the 2008 Donruss Ring Kings card is a year earlier.

Round 1's whole premise was UFC debuts, so Evans's rookie is a two-man card with Brad Imes from the TUF 2 Finale — the night he won the season-two heavyweight tournament. He was the reigning light heavyweight champion when the set shipped in early 2009, and this is still the card the market means by 'Rashad Evans rookie'.

The dispute

The Trading Card Database RC-flags the 2009 Topps base cards (the archive's Round 2 checklist carries an RC flag on #44), while SportsCardsPro records #31 and #44 as 'not a rookie card'. Neither Topps 2009 product uses a printed RC logo, so 'rookie' here is a collector convention. A minority view treats the 2008 Donruss Ring Kings card as the true first card.

Commonly misidentified

Because #31 is a two-man card, listings file it under Brad Imes, and the Silver /288 and Gold parallels of #31 are routinely advertised as separate 'rookie' cards rather than parallels of the same card.

Identifying it

  • Two fighters on one front; card number 31 on the back.
  • Back references The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale, 5 November 2005.
  • Listings file it under either name — search 'Imes' as well as 'Evans'.

Parallels

Base
—
Unnumbered
Gold
unnumbered
Probable
Silver
/288
High confidence
Black
/888
Probable
Red
1/1
Probable

Grading & population

Population figures will be taken directly from the grading companies and dated when they are. None are shown yet.

Sources & research Verified×1High confidence×1Uncertain×1

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.

High confidence

Rashad Evans's rookie card: 2009 Topps UFC Round 1 #31 — Rashad Evans / Brad Imes.

2009 Topps UFC Round 1 #31 is his first card in a UFC-licensed product and the one the market treats as the rookie: eBay listings and the COMC catalogue title it 'Rashad Evans vs Brad Imes #31' with an RC / Rookie tag, and Jeff Allender's Round 1 checklist confirms the number and the subject pairing. Like the rest of the 2009 Topps UFC run it is a hobby convention rather than a league-designated RC — SportsCardsPro's own data field says 'not a rookie card' for #31, #44 and #61 alike, and the 2008 Donruss Ring Kings card is a year earlier.

Verified

2009 Topps UFC Round 1 #31 — Rashad Evans / Brad Imes.

Uncertain

Rookie status only — see the rookie block. The number, set and subjects agree across three sources.

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