Today I will be reviewing what is by far the most fun break of an MMA product I’ve had in 2010 Topps UFC Knockout.  This box of cards is a mish mash of popular Topps sets from other brands including Bowman Sterling (recognizable in the pack format), AFLAC and Rookie Premiere autos (in the TUF Auto set) and Triple Threads (with the triple auto and relic cards).  You can currently find 2010 Topps UFC Knockout at our sponsor Atlanta Sports Cards for $166.99 a box.  The box format is 8 packs per box (individually wrapped and sealed) with 6 cards per pack with one card being an Autograph, Match Used or Autographed Match Used card.  Each box guarantees 4 Match used hits, 2 Autograph hits (with TUF autos falling as an extra hit), and 2 Autographed Match Used per box.  From what I’ve seen, the product does a good job of falling pretty true to this.

While im not a huge MMA fan, I know all of the big names and feel that every box is pretty well loaded with the hits of the big names as well as plenty of up and comers as well.  This busting experience is nothing like that of the past 2 Topps MMA products (in a good way) and I think they really did justice to the people craving high end MMA stuff.  Had the Triple Threads cards not have been included in this, I may feel differently though as they are in most case box savers because the novelty helps them sell so well.

In my box I got 3 base auto hits in my first 3 packs.  The first auto was an autograph of WEC up and comer Bart Palaszewski.  Now, here’s my first gripe….why are there WEC/Non Hevyweights in this product?  I know the UFC owns WEC but I don’t really think these lighter fighters have much name recognition in collectors’ circles and therefore have little resale value or prospecting potential.  Outside of that…I think all of the other hits were done right.  My favorite hit of this product are the TUF or The Ultimate Fighter autos.  Much akin to the AFLAC autos in baseball or the Rookie Premiere autos in football these hits are very collectible and the first autos of some real up and comers in the UFC.  Even the losers in the TUF competition have had pretty nice careers up to this point…one I have a soft spot for in former Purdue football player Matt “Meathead” Mitirone.  His TUF auto from an earlier UFC release goes for close to $40 on eBay.  I pulled Aaron Wilkinson’s TUF auto, and while its not a high dollar seller, im perfectly content keeping it as it is a good looking on card auto.  If you’re lucky enough to pull the Georges St. Pierre coaches auto with the same design…good for you as it is a great looking card of arguably the top fighter over the past 5 years in MMA.

The other auto and memorabilia hits were fairly lackluster in design, but you could definitely tell they came from a high end set, vs. the simple paper autos that were prevalent in earlier releases.  My Match Worn Autographs of Wanderlei Silva and Nate Diaz were both good hits and will look great in any serious MMA collectors PC.  Another standout set in the product is the Premium Pieces match worn cards with beautiful multi colored pieces.  I pulled a 4 color Nate Marquardt that was really the standout hit of the box due to eye appeal of the patch piece.  The hits from the autograph subset of Premium Pieces are beautiful cards as well and command respect at resale from the true high end collectors out there.

All in all, I give the product a solid B.  The disappointments include the lack of a Triple Threads hit in my box, the inclusion of WEC fighters in the base auto set and something I haven’t touched on yet…the inclusion of fight used mat cards in such a high end set.  I think Mat Relics are a good fit in the $60ish price point products, but in the high end stuff it comes off a little cheap to me.  Id rather have those taken out and see the per box price shrink.  Id love to hear others opinions on this as I feel these cards don’t add much value, even when you hit the more popular fighters…as most of the mat relics are from fights that have already had Mat relics associated with that fighter in earlier sets.  Not a super scathing complaint, but for $160+ a box I expect the hits to pack a little more of a high end punch…pun intended.

Thanks again for reading my review! Let me know how you felt about the product in your own experiences!