Fedor's First Cards Give Razor's Foray into MMA a Powerful Punch

Razor officials on Wednesday formally and definitively declared their presence in the mixed martial arts trading card arena with a stunning blow: The company’s premiere product, 2010 Razor MMA, will feature the first-ever trading cards and autographs of Strikeforce heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, regarded by many as the greatest fighter in the world.

The Russian’s history-making inclusion in Razor’s September-releasing debut is a staggering development for MMA collectors, and one that’s been in the works for quite some time.

“Getting a deal done was a very challenging process,” says Razor President Brian Gray. “When you’re dealing with the man that may be the greatest MMA fighter in the sport’s history, you have to expect some challenges. However, we are infinitely pleased and feel very fortunate to bring Fedor’s first mainstream cards and autographs to collectors.

“Fedor was an exciting addition for us and insures an automatic sellout.”

If that didn’t do the trick, the lure of one autograph per pack (eight packs per box) in the industry’s first “super-premium” MMA product probably would have. The set’s high-end composition provides a developmental distinction between Razor and the three successful Ultimate Fighting Championship launches so far from Topps, which has enjoyed a virtually unrivaled run in MMA for almost 18 months.

Topps’ exclusive agreement with the UFC apparently doesn’t extend to the individual fighters, many of whom — including Brock Lesnar, Shane Carwin, Georges St-Pierre, Forrest Griffin, Rich Franklin and Randy Couture — have cards in 2010 Razor MMA.

“Our product is groundbreaking in its reach far beyond the confines of one organization,” Gray says. “We’re not worried about competition in the MMA category. The products each of us put out are very different and will appeal to different collectors for different reasons. I am confident that this growing segment of the business can easily embrace both our products and the excellent UFC-branded products Topps has produced to date. I don’t think collectors could ask for better representation in the space than they have in our companies.”

Topps’ fourth stand-alone UFC product is set to arrive in August.

In addition to Fedor, there are a bevy of other first-timers dotting 2010 Razor MMA’s checklist. Of the more than 100 fighters featured in the product, at least 40 will be making their trading card debuts.

Stay tuned to Beckett.com for additional information on this product.

Tracy Hackler is the editorial director for Beckett Media. Have a comment or question? Send an e-mail to him at thackler@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

Editor’s Note: All autographs shown are facsimile and not representative of each fighter’s actual signature