Alright, so I dove headfirst into this UFC trading cards value thing, right? Figured it’d be a fun little side hustle. Here’s how it all went down.
Step 1: Research, Research, Research! I spent a solid week just googling “UFC trading cards value guide,” “rare UFC cards,” and all that jazz. Found a bunch of sites like eBay sold listings, Beckett, and some random card collecting forums. Basically tried to get a feel for what cards were hot and what to avoid.
Step 2: Finding the Cards. This was the tricky part. I didn’t want to spend a fortune. Started hitting up local card shops, flea markets, and even asked around on Facebook Marketplace. Scored a few packs of Topps Chrome UFC at a decent price – you know, the ones everyone says have the best chance of pulling something good.
Step 3: The Unboxing (or Unpacking?). Recorded myself opening those packs like all the YouTube guys do. Was hoping for a big hit, like a Conor McGregor autograph or a Francis Ngannou rookie card. Let’s just say I didn’t get rich. Got a couple of decent looking cards, a Sean O’Malley and some other fighter I didn’t recognize.
Step 4: Value Check Time. Used those eBay sold listings I found earlier. Searched for the exact cards I pulled, checking the condition (mine were all mint, thankfully). Turns out, the Sean O’Malley card was worth about $10. The other one? Maybe $2 if I was lucky.
Step 5: Grading…Maybe? Saw a lot of people talking about getting their cards graded by PSA or Beckett. Figured I’d hold off for now. The O’Malley card wasn’t valuable enough to justify the grading fee. Maybe if I pulled something huge later on.
Step 6: Buying More (because why not?). Got a bit addicted, I admit. Found a guy selling a whole box of 2021 Topps UFC cards for cheap. Snapped it up, thinking this was my chance to hit the jackpot.
Step 7: More Unboxing, More Value Checking. Same story as before. A few decent pulls, a bunch of commons, nothing super valuable. Did manage to get a cool Israel Adesanya card, but its value was only around $15.
Step 8: Listing on eBay. Decided to try selling the cards I wasn’t interested in keeping. Snapped some good photos, wrote detailed descriptions, and set reasonable prices. A few cards sold within a week, mostly for around $5 each. Not exactly rolling in dough here.
Step 9: Lessons Learned. This whole UFC trading card thing is a gamble. You can get lucky, but most of the time you’re going to end up with a bunch of cards worth next to nothing. It’s more of a fun hobby than a serious investment, at least for me.
Step 10: What’s Next? I’m probably going to keep buying a few packs here and there, just for fun. Maybe try my luck with some higher-end sets. But I’m definitely not quitting my day job anytime soon!
