Swedish MMA fighter Andreas Gustafsson will make history when he makes his UFC debut in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Gustafsson will become the first fighter in the promotion’s history to wear a UFC Debut Patch when he fights American Trevin Giles at UFC Fight Night.
This follows a partnership between the UFC and collectible cards company Topps.
Topps revealed the partnership on Wednesday, saying UFC newbies will now wear a ‘Debut Patch on their gear for their first fight in the promotion.
Reports suggest Gustafsson will wear the patch on his right sleeve during his walkout to the Octagon at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
After the bout, the patch will then be removed and transported to Topps’ offices in Dallas to be turned into a one-of-one trading card.
Topps plans to use these cards in upcoming UFC product releases, though nothing has been confirmed yet.
These kinds of patches first captured the attention of collectors in MLB, where memorabilia lovers got attached to the idea of tying an exact moment in time to a physical collectible.
In March 2024, Paul Skenes’ MLB Rookie Debut Patch Autograph sold for a whopping $1.2 million.
The patches have since been expanded to the MLS last year – with Luis Suarez among the superstars to bizarrely wear a ‘debut’ patch – and the WWE in 2025.
If this idea was around when someone like Conor McGregor made his UFC debut, you can imagine the kinds of prices fans would pay for something like that now.
So it seems like Topps’ partnership with the UFC can only have positives as they hope to land a patch on a future MMA star.
Gustafsson stopped Pat Pytlik with knees to the head to earn his UFC contractGetty Images - Getty The Swedish star is set for his UFC debut nine months laterGetty Images - GettyGustafsson will feature on the undercard of the UFC Fight Night event headlined by Erin Blanchfield’s fight with Maycee Barber.
Blanchfield, 26, is one of the most decorated women’s flyweights in the world, having defeated Rose Namajunas via unanimous decision in her last fight.
She faces a title eliminator bout with Barber, who has lost just two professional MMA fights, but is currently riding a six-fight win streak in Dana White‘s promotion.
Elsewhere on the card, No. 7 ranked lightweight Mateusz Gamrot takes on Ludovit Klein in the co-main event.
Meanwhile, Americans Billy Ray Goff and Ramiz Brahimaj also lock horns at the top of the bill.
Welshman Oban Elliot was scheduled to fight Brahimaj on the card, but was forced to withdraw due to visa issues and he will not fight in Baku, Azerbaijan on June 21 against Seok Hyun Ko.
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