Crossover bouts in professional sports have never fared well, but Saturday’s bout between boxing champion Floyd Mayweather and UFC titleholder Conor McGregor promises to be different. There is plenty of hype, and both men are stars in their own field. While the bout could wind up one-sided, it does not seem to be boring. Mayweather, who has won titles in five divisions … [Read more...]
Topps Bringing NOW to UFC; Launching Digital Card App
Topps will bring its NOW platform to UFC and the two are also launching a digital trading card app. The moves were announced Monday morning just ahead of a major UFC event. Topps NOW UFC ToppsNOW UFC will focus on exclusive, on-demand cards from Fight Week events and will launch in July, following UFC International Fight Week in Las Vegas. Topps and MLB launched the NOW … [Read more...]
UFC Star McGregor Gets Autograph, Memorabilia Deal
UFC Featherweight champion Conor McGregor has reached an exclusive autograph agreement with Fanatics Authentic. The company will be the sole distributor of McGregor autographed memorabilia and the deal will include some fight-used items. McGregor is currently 6-0 in the UFC, 18-2 overall, and is scheduled to fight Jose Aldo in a Featherweight Championship Unification bout … [Read more...]
MMA Autographs a Commodity, Too
Baseball, football, basketball and hockey have danced around it since the 1970s. Now, profit-minded autograph hounds have also become an issue in mixed martial arts. One well-known female fighter told fans via Twitter recently that she would no longer be signing through the mail because she felt she was being taken advantage of by those who were simply hoping to flip her … [Read more...]
Finest and UFC Prove a Good Mix
We've discussed in previous box reviews both the evolution of the Finest line as well as how UFC is really well organized compared to boxing. A dedicated fan can probably name at least 10-15 important UFC athletes while it really takes a dedicated boxing fan to understand the difference between Andre Ward and Mickey Ward. Thus when a higher-level issue such as Finest comes … [Read more...]
Vegas Trip Pulled from Topps Pack
Topps will fly a suburban Chicago collector to Las Vegas after he pulled the winning card in the company's UFC Main Event product. Alfonso Rodriguez of Melrose Park, IL is the first to find the special triple autograph card featuring Dana White, Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. Rodriguez and a guest will receive an all expenses paid trip to Las Vegas to be the guest of … [Read more...]
2010 Topps UFC Main Event Review
by Rich Klein Twenty years ago, if someone would have told me that I would be writing a review about a Topps wax box of a sport that did not even exist in 1990, I'd have probably said they were missing a few screws. I also would have had the same reaction if I'd been told I'd do almost everything relating to cards on computer networks and through a communication system … [Read more...]