Top Cards of the Godfather of MMA
The world of combat sports would be forever changed on a fateful November night in 1993 when Royce Gracie introduced the world to the Octagon and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Gracie would win the inaugural UFC tournament and, over the next few years, dominate nearly everyone who dared test themselves against his innovative martial art. He’d defeat legends like Ken Shamrock to win UFC 1 and tapped out Dan Severn to win the UFC 4 tournament, going 11-0 to start his career.
His aura as an undefeatable fighter with an unsolvable can not be understated. No one ever saw anything quite like what Gracie brought to the cage, and now we get to celebrate the Godfather of MMA by looking at some fascinating pulls from his Topps cards. From the newly-released 2024 Topps Gold Label UFC to being card number 1 in the first-ever Topps UFC set in 2009, these are just a few of the best Royce Gracie Topps UFC cards to collect.
Royce Gracie‘s Best Cards
2024 Topps Chrome UFC Hall of Fame Autographs #HFA-RGR Royce Gracie
Fighter info
• inaugural inductee into the UFC Hall of Fame (Pioneer Wing, class of 2003)
• Longest submission streak in UFC history: 6
set info
• Hall of Fame autos features 13 fighters in the UFC Hall of Fame with six parallels /150 to /1
card back
• a guarantee that a Topps representative witnessed the signing of this card to guarantee authenticity
2024 Topps Knockout UFC Pillars Of The Octagon Autographs #PTG-RGE Royce Gracie
Fighter info
• UFC 2 Tournament Champion
• UFC 4 Tournament Champion
set info
• Pillars of the octagon inserts are all /99 with three parallels at /50 /8 /1
What they said
• “We feel that no two individuals are more deserving than Royce and Ken to be the charter members (of the UFC Hall of Fame). Their contributions to our sport, both inside and outside the Octagon, may never be equaled.” – Dana White
2024 Topps Gold Label UFC Art Of Fighting #AOF-1 Royce Gracie
Fighter info
• Most tournaments won in UFC history: 3
• Longest finish streak in UFC history: 11
set info
• art of Fighting features 30 fighters, both active and retired legends, including Daniel Cormier, BJ Penn, and Shogun Rua
card back
• A declaration of Gracie as one of the greatest mixed martial artists ever who changed the world of combat sports when he won three UFC tournaments in the ’90s.
2009 Topps UFC Round 1 Ultimate Gear #UG-RG Royce Gracie /500
Fighter info
• Most fights in a single night in UFC history: 4
• Longest fight in UFC history: 36 minutes (vs. Ken Shamrock 2 at UFC 5)
set info
• Ultimate Gear features 23 fighters. The Ultimate gear autos set features the same 23 fighters
Fighter quote
• “A lot of people told my family, ‘Oh, the Gracies are arrogant, they’re challenging other styles, they’re trying to put down other styles.’ no, we’re just trying to find out if our stuff works. You have to test against other martial arts to see if it works.” – Royce Gracie
2009 Topps UFC Round 1 Autographs #A-RG Royce Gracie RC
Fighter info
• First tournament champion in UFC history
• Greatest Submission in UFC’s first 25 Years (vs Ken Shamrock UFC 1)
set info
• Round 1 autos features 38 fighters and a red ink parallel signature
Fighter quote
• “It wasn’t me, it was the technique of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.” – Royce Gracie to Joe Rogan on changing the sport of MMA
More Topps UFC
- Topps UFC | Leon Edwards Fighter Profile
- Topps Gold Label UFC | Brand History
- Topps UFC | Mackenzie Dern Cards to Collect
