Collect call: Topps Ultimate Fighting Championship Series 2

Posted Oct 4, 2009 by Bob D'Angelo

Updated Oct 4, 2009 at 03:16 PM

It was inevitable. The popularity of the Ultimate Fighting Championship would translate into a set of UFC cards.

Topps rolled out UFC cards earlier this year, chock full of inserts, mat card relics and autographs. Now, Topps has issued Series 2, which offers more of the same. There aren’t as many relic cards this time around, but a typical hobby box still will yield two relics and two autographs on average.

And, if you’re lucky, a redemption card.

That’s what I found in the hobby box I sampled: a redemption card autograph for Michael Bisping.

A hobby box contains 16 packs, with eight cards to a pack. The box I looked at yielded 93 of the 150-card base set. In addtion, there were 14 thick parallel cards.

It’s really hard to capture the action of mixed martial arts on a card, and Topps tries mightily. But while the photography is functional, there is nothing that really pops out. Still, there are plenty of horizontal shots with lots of action.

There were two relics in the box I sampled: Authentic Fight Mat Relics featuring Gray Maynard and Lyoto Machida.
The two autographs were bold, and while they were on stickers, showed up well thanks to a white background on the card. The two cards I saw were signed by Marcus Davis and Josh Koscheck.

Topps offers a nice assortment of inserts, including Bloodlines, Fight Poster Previews, Photo Finish, Octagon of Honor and Greats of the Game.

Not a bad selection. If you are a fan of the UFC, you will enjoy this set.