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 has now switched to soccer, playing for FC Legion Dynamo in Russia.
There’s not a huge amount of Khabib Nurmagomedov UFC cards out there, but they’re popular among UFC card collectors and hold value because of his reputation in the sport.
Khabib’s cards are some of the most valuable UFC trading cards on the market. So, now that he’s retired from MMA, let’s take a look at his best cards to look out for.
What Is Khabib Nurmagomedov’s True Rookie Card?
2012 Topps UFC Bloodlines Khabib Nurmagomedov #12
The 2012 Topps Bloodlines card was Khabib’s very first issued UFC card, and therefore his true rookie card.
The card has a number of different parallels, including a Russian flag version (only 188 printed) and a 1/1 platinum card.
Even the base card is hard to come by, because they were not mass-produced at the time – so the scarcity adds to the card’s value.
As Nurmagomedov became a bigger name and established himself as one of the UFC greats, the card has risen in value – But could still be a good UFC card investment long term.
Other Khabib Nurmagomedov Cards To Look Out For
2013 Topps Finest UFC Khabib Nurmagomedov #22
The 2013 Topps Finest UFC Khabib card is not as valuable as his true rookie, but it’s still a desirable card and with his rookie being already highly valued, the second-year release could be a good entry level UFC card investment.
This one also has a number of different parallels, including the highly limited blue and gold refractors which have a nice background design that I think makes them look a lot better than the standard base card.
2014 Topps UFC Knockout Autographs Khabib Nurmagomedov #KA-KN
This one is my favorite Khabib UFC card. The 2014 Topps Knockout card was Khabib’s first autographed card, something that is popular among UFC card collectors.
The base card is limited to just 149, with the number printed on the face of the card. It also includes the ‘1st autograph’ badge, which is a nice detail to have on it. There are a few different versions of this card, all had a low print run.
Khabib also had a Fistograph card (#F-KN) in the 2014 Topps set, which is an autographed card with an additional print of the fighter’s fist. That card was limited to just 10, so it’s incredibly rare and hard to get hold of.
2017 Topps UFC Chrome Khabib Nurmagomedov #100
Another popular and already quite valuable Khabib trading card is the 2017 Topps Chrome card.
The set was Topps’ first UFC chrome set which included base cards as well as Serial numbered Refractors that came in Green (/99), Blue Wave (/75), Gold (/50), Orange (/25), Black (/10), Red (/5) and Superfractor (1/1).
Khabib didn’t have an auto card in the 2017 chrome set, only his base card and the limited refractors.
2021 Prizm UFC Khabib Nurmagomedov Champion Signatures Auto #4
This Khabib card was his first that was issued by Panini after they acquired the UFC license.
The Champion Signatures cards were issued for fighters who have held titles within UFC – Khabib is one of 9 fighters to have a Champion Signatures card issued within the set.
Only 2 auto cards were issued per hobby box for the set, so this card is pretty hard to come by and worth picking up if you can.
Considering it’s his first Panini card, and it was released in the same year as his retirement (plus it’s an auto card), it’ll hold value with UFC collectors in the future, so it’s one of Khabib’s better cards to invest in.
Is A Khabib Nurmagomedov Rookie Card A Good Investment?
I think, long term, Khabib rookie cards are a decent 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.
