Topps Debut patches are officially coming to the UFC!
The popular trading-card company introduced the Debut patch 2023, becoming an instant hit with collectors. Debuting athletes wear a specially designed patch on their uniform, jersey, or outfit, which is later placed into a one-of-one trading card. Collectors then have the chance to pull the ultra-rare card from a pack in a future card set.
Michael Aswell and Andreas Gustafsson will be the first two UFC fighters to wear the debuting patches when they compete on the preliminary portion of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 107 card inside The APEX in Las Vegas.
Fighters making their UFC debut will wear a special patch on the right sleeve of their walkout jersey, marking their first Octagon appearance in a bold new way,” the promotion announced on its website.
According to a report from MMA Junkie, the patches will be placed on the right sleeve of their walkout jersey. The patches will then be put into a card, signed by the fighter, and included in a 2026 Topps UFC release.
Topps Debut Patches were first introduced in MLB
The patch program was first introduced in Major League Baseball and immediately became the must-have chase card for debuting players.
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes’s debut patch card kickstarted a massive hunt in the collecting community, with many parties offering bounties for the ultra-rare find. The card was eventually pulled by an 11-year-old and subsequently sold at auction for a whopping $1.11 million.
Topps has since brought the program to World Wrestling Entertainment, also owned by the UFC’s parent company, TKO Group, for WWE Raw and SmackDown debuts. The company also introduced WrestleMania patches, which were spotted on ring gear during the two-day extravaganza in Las Vegas.
