Khabib’s cards are some of the most valuable UFC trading cards on the market, although collectors don’t have an abundance of choice.
In my opinion, the best Khabib card is his 2014 Topps Knockout Autographs card, which is his first autographed card, and a rare on-card signature from him; It’s also his most valuable card.
I’ve covered that, and his other top UFC cards, below.
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The Best Khabib Nurmagomedov UFC Cards
2012 Topps Bloodlines UFC Khabib Nurmagomedov #12
The 2012 Topps Bloodlines card was Khabib’s very first issued UFC card, and that significance of being his rookie card makes it one of his best UFC cards.
The base version is valuable itself, but there’s also some parallel versions: Flag (/188), which has the Russian flag colors on the background, Black (/88), Red (/8) and the 1-of-1 Platinum and Printing Plates parallels.
The base version is not easy to come by, because they were not mass-produced at the time, so the scarcity adds to the card’s value.
Unfortunately for collectors, Nurmagomedov wasn’t included in the autograph checklist, so this regular unsigned card is the only Khabib option from the release.
Back in 2021, a PSA 9 graded copy of the Black parallel version sold for $10.2k, which makes it one of Khabib’s most valuable cards.
2013 Topps Finest UFC Khabib Nurmagomedov #22
The 2013 Topps Finest UFC Khabib card is not as valuable as his 2012 rookie, but it offers a great alternative as one of his earliest UFC cards.
The base version is actually low-value, but the numerous Refractor parallels add color, rarity, and value.
The rarest parallels are among Khabib’s most expensive UFC cards to buy; In 2022, a PSA 10 graded copy of the Black Octo-Fractor (/8) sold for $13.3k.
2014 Topps Knockout UFC Autographs Khabib Nurmagomedov #KAKN
Khabib’s first autographed card came in the 2014 Topps UFC Knockout set, and for me, it’s the grail of all his UFC cards.
It’s easily one of the best Khabib cards, and it’s highly sought-after.
The big appeal of it is the on-card signature, especially when you consider that Khabib Nurmagomedov rarely hard-signs sports cards.
It also includes the ‘1st autograph’ badge, which is a nice added detail.
The base card is limited to only 149 serial-numbered copies, and there are a few different low-numbered parallels as well.
The most coveted and desirable version is the 1-of-1 Mat Stock parallel, which sold, via Goldin, for $79,200 in 2022, graded PSA 7.
2017 Topps Chrome UFC Khabib Nurmagomedov #100
Another popular Khabib card is this 2017 Topps Chrome card; The set was Topps’ first UFC chrome release, and it’s popular among collectors.
The base version of the card is readily available and low-value, which makes it one of the best low-budget Khabib cards.
There are numerous Refractor parallels, which add color and differing levels of scarcity; The 1-of-1 Superfractor and Printing Plates parallels are the rarest versions.
In 2021, a PSA 10 graded copy of the Orange Refractor parallel (/25) sold for $3.25k.
Khabib didn’t have an autograph card in the 2017 Topps Chrome set, only his base card, with its limited refractor parallels.
2021 Panini Prizm UFC Khabib Nurmagomedov Champion Signatures #CSKBN
Panini released their first official UFC sports cards in 2021, after winning the licence from Topps, and released the debut Prizm UFC set in the same year.
The Prizm brand is popular across multiple sports, and Khabib collectors have this big-hitting Prizm Champion Signatures card to chase.
In my opinion, this is second only to his 2014 Topps Knockout Autographs card; It’s definitely one of his best cards ever.
There were only 2 autographed cards per hobby box at the time of release, and with 9 names on the subset’s checklist, they’re hard to come by.
The slight downside is it’s not hard-signed, like his 2014 Knockout auto card; Instead, it’s a sticker autograph.
There are some rarer, and more valuable, parallel options, including the 1-of-1 Black parallel; In 2021, the Black version sold for $47.7k, making it one of his most expensive UFC cards ever sold.
2021 Panini Prizm UFC #181
The other big-hitting Khabib card from the 2021 Panini Prizm release is this horizontal unsigned base card.
It’s one of his best unsigned UFC cards ever released, and it’s popular among collectors.
The Prizm brand is known for mass-produced and low-value base cards, which is no different for this one, with a wide array of Prizm parallels, adding both color, and differing levels of rarity.
The lowest-numbered parallels are among his most expensive cards; In 2022, the 1-of-1 Black Prizms parallel version sold for $37.2k.
What Is The Most Valuable Khabib Card?
The most expensive and valuable Khabib UFC card is his 2014 Topps Knockout Autographs card, which is limited to only 149 base copies, and some rare parallel versions.
The on-card signature is the big appeal, and it’s Nurmagomedov’s first ever signed official sports card.
The 1-of-1 Mat Stock parallel version sold for $79.2k in the past.
Are Khabib Nurmagomedov Rookie Cards A Good Investment?
I think, long term, Khabib rookie cards are a solid card investment.
UFC cards are definitely growing in popularity, as a whole, within the sports card hobby. There’s no doubt that Khabib is one of the all-time greats of MMA, and he has plenty of supporters.
With the scarcity of his cards, if you can get hold of one of his limited cards, particularly the autographed ones, then it would be a good buy and hold play.
Khabib Nurmagomedov: A Background
Khabib Nurmagomedov will go down as one of the best UFC fighters of all time.
The Russian MMA fighter made his UFC debut in 2012, beating Kamal Shalorus and retired in 2021, as undefeated lightweight champion – He currently holds the record for the longest-reigning UFC Lightweight champion.
His impressive 29-0 record includes main event wins over Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirer and Justin Gaethje.
After retiring from MMA, Khabib switched to soccer, playing for FC Legion Dynamo in Russia.