Tiger Schulmann’s

Next Topps UFC product will include fight-used cards somebody sank their teeth into – Featuring Louis Gaudinot

Last Updated on June 7, 2012.

Next Topps UFC product will include fight-used cards somebody sank their teeth into – Featuring Louis Gaudinot

By Chris Olds | Beckett Sports Card Monthly Editor

The next UFC release from Topps will be one you can sink your teeth into.

No wait …

The upcoming UFC release from Topps will include one insert set that will have some collectors champing at the bit for a certain few cards.

Err … When 2012 Topps Finest UFC arrives in July, it will include cards that will include complete fight-used mouthpieces embedded into the cards.

“Its just an ongoing effort by our company to be innovative, to push the bounds, to do our best to give our collectors great content and to connect them with their favorite fighters,” said Topps VP Mark Sapir. “We are all about bringing the game, the fight, etc., to our collectors and this is just another special way we plan to do this.”

A select number of fighters will cough up their mouthpieces for the Grill Gear Relic set in the upcoming release, the company teased on Monday.

So, what does a fight-used mouthpiece cost Topps to obtain these days?

“The mouthpiece is part of a broader deal,” Sapir said. “UFC fighters really want to partner with us, really want to give their fans something special. [They are] more open to creative unique ideas and offerings, they truly are all about giving to their fans and as  a result are more open to our ideas.”

Naturally, most reactions to the cards might be the same as your own — but the fighters had their own reactions, too.

“I think reaction is ‘Really?’ and then ‘Cool,’” Sapir said. “They get it, they know their fans. They know how rabid their fans are, how unique their fans are and how their fans really want to celebrate their fandom and passion for the sport and fighters.”

The cards will be redemptions based on their thickness — they cannot be easily placed into packs. A final checklist is still pending.

Train with Louis Gaudinot at TSMMA Hoboken