International Fight Week Could Make UFC Cards an International Sensation
International Fight Week is scheduled to kick off tomorrow (Wednesday, June 25th) for the UFC. The week/weekend will contain the 2025 UFC Hall of Fame ceremony, an immersive two-day fan experience, meet and greets, and it will be headlined by UFC 317 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event of the evening will be a battle between Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira for the Lightweight Title.
Not only does this week offer potential growth for the sport of Mixed Martial Arts, but it offers growth for the UFC sports card market. A rebound in the UFC market would be warmly welcomed after it has seen just over a 15% decrease in its card index via Card Ladder. While the sport could potentially see a market boost, either Topuria or Oliveira are bound for hobby greatness after winning the belt Saturday night.
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Both fighters are going into International Fight Week with enormous success on their resumés and two incredible fan bases, however, it feels as if they are both one key victory away to match the hobby love. Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira is a future hall of famer, as he has had an illustrious career, dating back to his UFC debut in 2010. Some significant sports cards of his are the 2010 Topps Knockout Gold Rookie /288, which last sold raw on May 29th of this year for $63. There are not many of these 2010 Knockout cards of his that are currently graded, which leaves room for collectors and investors to set the market for this 15 year-old product.
Another card that looks to bump up in pricing is his 2022 Prizm Colorblast (SSP). This card last sold raw for $565 on February 10th, and sold in PSA 10 form for $1,590 back in 2024. Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira is not just looking to win the belt back, he is looking to “Do Damage” in the UFC sports card market.
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The man in the other corner is none other than Ilia “El Matador” Topuria. The Georgian’s greatness speaks for itself, as he has a perfect professional fighting record of 16-0. Ilia is looking to become a duel division champion, as he abandoned his belt a few months ago, where he held the Featherweight title and defended it against Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway. Now, he looks to win the Lightweight title this weekend over Oliveira. Likewise, some key cards to keep an eye on will be his 2022 Optic White Sparkle Rookie (SSP), which sold last (raw) for $178 all the way back in January of 2024. A PSA 10 also sold in 2024 for $400, where now it should be quite a bit more, but is the perfect candidate for a price jump with an iconic win. A very interesting card to take note of is his 2022 Prizm Gold /10 Rookie card. What’s interesting is the price differential between the last raw sale and the last PSA 10 sale that is recorded: Raw last sold for $5,000 back in 2022. PSA 10 last sold for $2,384 in August of 2024. The answer to these prices could simply be the economic state of the market in comparison to when they were sold, or it could mean that more captivating stars took the spotlight over Ilia since his rookie year, and he is now in the driver's seat for hobby love.
Either Topuria or Oliveira can rewrite history and etch their names into hobby greatness with a historic win over the other at UFC 317. Whoever comes out on top, International Fight Week will not disappoint and has all the ingredients for a positive hobby reaction for the market, for the fighters, and for the people.
Abram King is a Pittsburgh native, die-hard fan of all things Black & Gold, and a passionate sports card collector. With years of experience in the hobby, he brings a sharp insight, deep knowledge, and hometown pride to his coverage. This is your inside edge of the hobby, straight from the Steel City.