{"id":63568,"date":"2024-01-31T11:48:49","date_gmt":"2024-01-31T16:48:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ripped.topps.com\/?p=63568"},"modified":"2024-10-17T01:22:28","modified_gmt":"2024-10-17T05:22:28","slug":"ufc-and-the-hobby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ripped.topps.com\/uk\/ufc-and-the-hobby\/","title":{"rendered":"UFC and The Hobby"},"content":{"rendered":"
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History of UFC<\/a> on Wax<\/h2>\n
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Date:<\/span> Jan 31, 2024<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
Topics:<\/span> 2008 Americana II Ring Kings, Amanda Nunes, Conor McGregor, How To Collect, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Mixed Martial Arts, Topps UFC, UFC<\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Length:<\/span> 1179 \tWords<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
Reading Time:<\/span> ~6 Minutes<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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IT’SSSS (Finally) TIMEEE!<\/h2>\n\n
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A post shared by Topps (@topps)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote> \n\n

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With all the excitement surrounding the announcement of the UFC returning to Topps, RIPPED decided it was time to sketch the history of outrageous, octagonal action on wax<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

Check out the history below and get ready to collect the most electric cards in combat sports. <\/p>\n\n

Squaring Up is Fundamental <\/h2>\n\n

Two opponents going toe-to-toe with their dukes up \u2014 it’s a sporting tradition that dates back to the age of empires.<\/p>\n\n

Boxing was popular in Greece (it appeared in the ancient Olympic Games in 688 BC) and Rome (fights were held in amphitheaters and attracted large crowds of spectators). Even some modern martial arts styles, like Brazilian jiu-jitsu, have about 100 years of history. <\/p>\n\n

Combat sports have evolved a great deal in the past few decades, but the essence of the game has been the same for thousands of years \u2014 two fighters enter, and one leaves victorious.<\/p>\n\n

Today, the most popular combat sport is mixed martial arts (MMA), and the most popular MMA promotion is the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)<\/a>. Here, we’ll explore the trading card history behind one of the fastest-growing sports in the world. <\/p>\n\n

UFC Early History <\/h2>\n\n

The UFC was only created in 1993, making it a baby by American sporting standards. It was founded by a group of men led by California entrepreneur Art Davie; the promotion’s first event was a single-elimination, bracket-style tournament featuring eight fighters. That event might not resemble the pay-per-views of today. Still, a few hallmarks of the UFC were established: the matchups of fighters with different styles and specialties and the signature octagon ring. <\/p>\n\n

But just because the UFC has only 30 years of history doesn’t mean it’s inferior to its peers in terms of popularity. The UFC is a multi-billion dollar enterprise that holds landmark events around the globe \u2014 in 2024, the promotion has dates booked in Toronto, Mexico City, and Saudi Arabia. The UFC has more Instagram followers<\/a> than the MLB<\/a>, NFL<\/a>, NHL, and MLS. Its current CEO and president, Dana White, is one of the more influential men in sports. <\/p>\n\n

Unlike the other most popular American sports, though, we don’t have a card history that dates back to the 20th century. The UFC was founded at the tail end of the Junk Wax Era<\/a>, but its first cards didn’t come around for about a decade after the promotion was established. <\/p>\n\n

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2006 Topps Allen & Ginter #310 Randy Couture <\/em><\/p>\n\n

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With no exclusive licensing deal, MMA fighters (including those in the UFC) occasionally appeared in multi-sport or non-sport card sets from a handful of brands. That includes Topps Allen & Ginter<\/a>, which created a card for UFC pioneer Randy Couture in 2006. Also in the late 2000s, Donruss created a card set called Americana that featured a few fighters, like Houston Alexander and Cung Le, included in an insert titled Ring Kings. Americana was mostly a non-sports set \u2014 many of the individuals highlighted were actors, like Burt Reynolds or John Travolta, with a few popular athletes mixed in. <\/p>\n\n

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