By any measure, last weekend's much hyped UFC 100 card was a smashing success. Over 11,000 people contributed to a live gate of over $5 million, and it's estimated that over one million households purchased the event on pay-per-view.
In conjunction with the landmark show, the UFC held its first ever Fan Expo at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Highlights of the Expo included Q&A sessions, exhibitors showing off mixed martial arts gear and equipment, and a live grappling tournament.
For the booming subsection of UFC fans who are also collectors, though, the top draw had to be the chance to get free autographs. UFC head honcho Dana White announced that over 30,000 people visited the Expo over the weekend, and many of them were willing to wait in long lines in order to snag a signature or two from some of their favorite fighters.
All eras of UFC history were well-reprsented among the autograph guests. That includes UFC Hall of Famers (like Royce Gracie, Randy Couture and new inductee Chuck Liddell), current stars (light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida and recent titleholders Quinton Jackson and Forrest Griffin were all on hand) and fighters from the WEC (like popular former champ Urijah Faber). Even the UFC Octagon Girls inked up for fans.
It hasn't been announced yet whether the Fan Expo will be an annual event going forward, but after seeing the way the debut event caught on, smart money says it will pop again at some point down the road.
Until then, collectors have a few options when it comes to grabbing autographs of their favorite UFC and MMA stars. Last year, Donruss Americana's Ring Kings insert set and Upper Deck's MMA set both featured a number of autographs and event-worn cards from top fighters.
Topps made a savvy move by grabbing the UFC license and has already released one series of cards in 2009. A second series is on the way later this summer, and it will once again feature multiple autographs in every hobby box.
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