29 March 2017

Topps UFC Now - UFC 209

I'll be honest; I don't really remember much about UFC 209. The card didn't feature a whole lot of fighters that are on my list of favorites, and I can't remember much about the fights. I know I watched most of the event, but the details are a little vague for me.

Collectors of Topps Now UFC cards must have had similar feelings about it, as the two cards produced after UFC 209 had the lowest print runs in the line by a wide margin. The previous low print runs all came from UFC 203, with cards for Fabricio Werdum (62 copies), Mickey Gall (71 copies), and Stipe Miocic (72 copies).


The Now releases for UFC 209 almost halved the previous lows, with this David Teymur card only getting 33 copies ordered and printed. I think I missed watching this fight for some reason, so I don't even know anything about what happened. If this Topps Now thing ever really takes off for UFC collectors, though, this is the shortest-printed one in the set.


The main fight on the card was the rematch between Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson for the Welterweight belt. They fought to a Majority Draw in UFC 205, in a weird finish that allowed Woodley to keep the belt. The commentators seemed to like this fight, but it really felt like both guys were playing not to lose rather than going for the win. Woodley barely eked out a Majority Decision win to keep his belt. This Topps Now card barely outsold the Teymur one, selling all of 35 copies.

The relatively weak card might have something to do with the low sales, but Topps might need to promote the UFC Now cards a little harder if the line is going to continue. Maybe they are hoping it will die off. I don't know. Luckily, the lineups for UFC 210-212 are a little more star-studded, so there could be an uptick in sales if Topps does decide to keep releasing UFC Now cards.

2 comments:

  1. Didn't even realize that Topps produced Topps UFC Now cards. Maybe if Cormier wins I'll try to find a copy on eBay.

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    1. They can be pretty hard to find after the fact. Most of the print runs are under 100 cards apiece, so there isn't a lot of supply. The eBay sellers usually sell them at a small discount on the day of release.

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