CSG Registry Featured Set: 2009 Topps UFC Round 1

Jump in the MMA fighting cage with UncleTed, who delivers a body slam with his nearly complete Mixed Martial Arts set, UFC Topps 2009 Round 1 Base Set. See our Q&A with the set owner here.

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The first officially licensed UFC Trading Cards, the 2009 Topps UFC Round 1 set includes 99 cards showcasing several highly prominent names in cage fighting. Randy Couture (#4) has competed in a record 16 title fights and has the most title reigns in the UFC, with six. Chuck Liddell (#5) is widely credited with helping bring MMA into the mainstream of American sports and entertainment. He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2009.

Meanwhile, Georges St-Pierre (#17) is widely regarding as one of the greatest fighters in MMA history and ranked as the #1 welterweight in the world for several years. Anderson Silva (#46) holds the record for the longest title reign in UFC history at 2,457 days, which included a UFC record 16 consecutive victories from 2006 to 2013. Brock Lesnar (#81) is the only person to have won all the primary heavyweight championships in WWE, UFC, NJPW and NCAA. A box office sensation, he competed in some of the bestselling pay-per-view events in promotion history.

Q&A with the set owner

Question: How did you get into collecting sports cards?
Answer: Back when I was a wee little lad in Phoenix and not yet knowing ANYTHING about sports, outside of tossing a ball around, I was given two packs of 1971 Topps Football. That started it. Two cards hit me. Bart Starr — the name was just so cool, I wanted my mom to change my name! Instant Packer fan! The other card was Johnny Unitas. That card scared me — it was creepy. I was a kid collector for years, but when deep into high school, trouble began. Cards were uncool so I traded them all for something some states are legalizing now. I got back involved in 1989 and have been steadily here since.

Question: What are your favorite current sports teams and/or athletes to follow?
Answer: Buffalo Bills, Arizona Diamondbacks and bandwagon for the Phoenix Suns. Never really followed hockey but... go Coyotes! The Buffalo Bills thing kind of came along with the 1971 Topps Football. I started watching football on TV and I freaked out seeing OJ Simpson running in the snow. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen. I’ve been Buffalo since, and maybe this year the beatings will finally end.

Question: Do you have a favorite card in your collection?
Answer: 2013 Mike Trout (Sliding). I have 47 different varieties of that card. (This proves the insanity of parallels, etc. out there.)

Question: We’re featuring your UFC set. What drew you to collecting and building this set?
Answer: UFC was new. I wasn't into UFC initially, but I became addicted around 2015. The 2009 set drew me in by being the first of its kind. There were earlier fighting sets out there with UFC stars but nothing like this dedicated 2009 Topps set. I have built graded Topps UFC Round 1 sets before. I built and then sold #1 sets during the height of pandemic card insanity. After cashing out, I missed the sets, so I started again. This round is purely CSG, which is my new home for all grading activities. The cost of the UFC 2009 Round 1 boxes has been insane though, similar to everything else, so that hinders the attack some.

Question: Do you have a favorite UFC fighter?
Answer: Conor McGregor and Miesha Tate. That's all time, and there are others who come and go. The problem with having just one or two UFC favorites is it's not like the four major sports. A team can win a World Series one year, then come back 10 years later and do the same. There are just a few fighters whose careers last more than a few years, so the timespan of “current” favorites can change like the wind.

Question: Do you have a favorite UFC fight?
Answer: UFC 194 - December 12, 2015: Conor McGregor vs. Jose Aldo. It was all of 13 seconds. Glorious! Best $80 pay-per-view event ever!

Question: Is there a card out there you’re hoping to add to your collection? Similarly, is there a set you hope to complete someday?
Answer: There is one card I need for my aforementioned 2013 Mike Trout (Sliding) run. Don't want to mention which one though; I have not been able to find it. I saw one a couple years ago but the price was way nutty, so I held back. For future sets? It'll have to be different UFC set, or something other than the four major sports. Maybe golf or bowling or something in non-sports. I had conquered the Donruss Odd Rods non-sports sets years back and sold those off. Those were made between 1969 and 1973.

Question: What do you enjoy most about adding your cards to the CSG Registry?
Answer: It's personal, it's not to beat anyone else, it's fun. With my current set(s) I need six to complete the first in 9 or better. I have 145 cards with you now pending grading results, and being honest, I don't know if those six are in there! I open 2009 UFC Round 1 boxes, top loader cards that look to grade good, and sub. It’s fun to get the cards back and do the “take one card out at a time to see the back and slowly turn it over, ensuring the thumb covers the grade, then slowing slide the thumb off to see the grade” thing. (I can't be the only one who does this.) After that, the Registry is checked to see if I’ve got one I need for the top sets. If not, the card goes in a 'sell' pile.

Question: What would you say to other sports cards collectors who may be on the fence about adding their cards to the CSG Registry?
Answer: Registry set building adds another dimension to collecting. It's comparable to what sports gambling does by adding another layer to something you really enjoy. I've actually not ever bet on sports, so I add that extra layer of greatness by building Registry sets. If I have just two cards graded out of 500-card set, and I put those two in a Registry set, well heck, that's something I know is out there for me to add to whenever I dang well please. No pressure, no stress, just relaxing fun.

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