UFC fighters to be featured in Topps' Debut Patch program
The first patch in the program will be worn by Andreas Gustafsson for ESPN FN 189: Erin Blanchfield vs. Maycee Barber on Saturday. Gustafsson will face Trevin Giles in a Catch Weight fight.
According to Fanatics, fighters will wear the debut patches on the right sleeve of their walkout jerseys before the fight. Patches will be removed after the fight and transported to Topps' Dallas-area facility where they will be placed into one-of-one trading cards.
Each card will later be autographed by the fighter.
Topps didn't immediately announce which product UFC debut patches will appear in.
The addition of UFC is the latest expansion to the debut patch program, which first launched as part of 2023 Topps Chrome Update Baseball. The program was later added to MLS in 2024 and WWE earlier this year.
Fanatics Collectibles and UFC agreed to a new exclusive deal for trading cards in early 2024. Topps previously made cards for the company from 2009 to 2020.
Since its launch, the debut patch program has proven to be one of Topps' most successful innovations since being acquired by Fanatics in 2022. To date, eight Rookie Debut Patch Autographs have sold for $25,000 or more, according to public records logged by Card Ladder.
The most expensive sale from the program came earlier this year when the Paul Skenes 1/1 sold for $1.11 million in Fanatics Collect's March Premier Auction.
It was later announced the card was acquired by national retailer Dick's Sporting Goods, which placed the Skenes RDPA on display in a Pittsburgh-area store.
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture. He was previously the Collectibles Editor at Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on X and Instagram @benmburrows.
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