The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Old box breaks, new MMA cards, 2016 Topps breaks, Johnny Manziel & more.

Contest >> Click here to win a box of 2016 Topps Series 1

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It's February and that means that we're set for the Super Bowl and some mass-marketing from SI.com over the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

And in reality the hype for both already has begun.

The last time we saw Ronda Rousey, she was suffering the first loss of her UFC career. Up next she'll be in the annual issue for the second year in a row. More publicity won't hurt her already-in-high-demand cardboard. She's one of a long list of athletes to appear in the issue and part of an even longer list of models who appear on cards and have certified autographs and even memorabilia cards for collectors to chase.

For the traditional models, there actually were SI Swimsuit card sets released each year from 2003 to 2009 from Stellar Collectibles and then a later retrospective set. In those sets, we got autographs, memorabilia cards and even paint cards from photoshoots. Meanwhile, for many of the athletes who have appeared in the issue since, there are autograph appearances in sets like Topps' Allen & Ginter (and many other sets) where collectors can also sometimes find the models. Kate Upton and Chrissy Teigen have been found there for example, and they sell very well.

Here's a rundown of a few sports stars who we've seen in the issue.

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Tom Gaydos
Also Known As: hudsonfan15
Website: www.youtube.com/user/hudsonfan15
Email: hudsonfan15@gmail.com
Location: Connecticut
Work away from cards: Client services for a furniture and textiles company
Collecting since: 1989

Main focuses: Rare items of my favorite player/team.

Favorite players/teams: Tim Hudson, Colts, MMA -- especially Cowboy Cerrone.

Current collecting projects: Always looking for anything rare/nice of Huddy.

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It's been more than five years since James "Lights Out" Toney set foot inside the Octagon at UFC 118 in Boston, but a piece of memorabilia from his fight against UFC legend Randy Couture is on the auction block beginning Monday via Goldin Auctions.

The piece? The former boxer's trunks worn what was his only MMA bout -- a first-round submission -- and it's extra Buzz-worthy because, well, look at it.

That's a one-of-a-kind piece of hobby history -- and there's an extra nod to MMA collectors because among Toney's sponsors for the fight was, if you haven't figured it out, Blowout Cards.

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If you've watched any NFL games this season, you've likely heard the word "concussion" many times as the league has implemented new tests on players to help prevent future problems by assessing the here and now immediately following a hard hit.

On Christmas Day, a film about the issue of concussions in football called Concussion opens in theaters. You've probably seen the commercials for the film during NFL games.

Will Smith stars as Dr. Bennet Omalu, who discovered the degenerative brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. It's a real-life issue that has affected more than 80 former players -- many you've seen on football cards and might have collected. The movie is an important one and Sports Illustrated has Smith on its cover this week to discuss the movie.

Is it the first time a celebrity has appeared on the cover of the highly collectable sports magazine?

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What: 2016 Topps UFC Top of the Class MMA cards
Arrives: May 11, 2016
Box basics: Two autographs or auto Relics plus one Jumbo Relic along with one insert and one insert parallel per box (16 boxes per case).

What's buzz-worthy: Topps takes its UFC brand into hits-based territory with a new line focusing on the best fighters in each weight class. The product doesn't have basic cards -- just hits and inserts/parallels.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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For 2015 Topps football and other 2015-16 Topps products that don't get a standalone story here on The Buzz (click on Checklist Zone at right) when a final checklist is released, we'll place a link to a PDF of the set's checklist right here. (Click here if you need 2015 Topps baseball checklists.)

You'll be able to find all of them in PDF form as released by the company and all in one spot. (If traffic statistics show us you guys like this format, we'll expand it in other directions. If not, Buzz will focus on other stuff.)

Keep reading to see the checklists posted so far.

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A pair of winners in UFC 194 this weekend should be on collectors' radars a bit more after picking up championships -- but don't think for a second that they'll immediately appeal to the same crowd.

For new UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, it's been a journey that started elsewhere -- Strikeforce.

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Topps' UFC trading cards have helped usher MMA more into collectors' minds as those who focused on the traditional sports saw the dollar signs attached to the autographs and Relics of notable names inside the Octagon.

But a visit to the UFC Store might do that even better as UFC sells fight-used memorabilia directly to the public on a first-come, first-served format.

The fight-used gloves above, for example? They were worn by Miesha Tate during the UFC on FOX Dillashaw vs. Barao 2 card where she downed Jessica Eye via unanimous decision. They'll cost you $2,999.99 to add them to your stash.

Gloves, shorts, fight-sponsor banners, walkout shirts, walkout caps and other gear are all available.

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What: 2016 Topps UFC Knockout MMA trading cards
Arrives: Spring 2016
Box basics: Two hits per pack with four 10-card packs per box, 12 boxes per case

What's buzz-worthy: The UFC women's division has faced some changes of late with Holly Holm dethroning Ronda Rousey as the champ so changes to the format of UFC Knockout also seem appropriate and seem just as big. This time around, there are two hits in every pack instead of one and there are just four packs in a box instead of 10. There will be at least one autograph per pack.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

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It's inevitable that the shocking demand for Holly Holm's Topps UFC cards will come down a bit after her knockout of UFC women's powerhouse Ronda Rousey on Saturday night, but Holm's biggest card -- and one of her rarer ones, too -- is still available.

It can be yours for just $25.

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Holly Holm shocked the MMA world on Saturday night by knocking out Ronda Rousey to become the UFC women's bantamweight champion, dethroning the champ who has been a force in the Octagon and on Topps trading cards.

Holm? Well, she's just getting warmed up.

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Given the size of the box for 2015 Leaf Memorabilia Vault, we should all know that -- literally -- big things are possible when we see the seal broken and the items start to emerge.

On Thursday morning, more than one box of this all-memorabilia product packing 10 items inside was busted via BlowoutTV with the buyer getting their drafted choice of item for $100.

What would you choose from a case? Keep reading and you can see the 10 items that were found inside. You make the call on what you might take -- let us know in a comment.

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What happens when a WWE Superstar turned UFC hopeful writes a comic book series featuring a character made famous on the big screen by a former WWE Superstar turned Bond villain?

Clobberin' time, maybe?

With apologies to Ben Grimm (aka The Thing), we're about to find out this week as Drax #1 arrives from Marvel Comics with a story penned by Phil Brooks (aka CM Punk) focusing on Drax The Destroyer from Guardians of the Galaxy. Drax, of course, was played in the 2014 movie by Dave Bautista (aka Batista in WWE) who is Hinx in Spectre, the newest Bond movie, which opens in theaters on Friday.

Get all that? Now it's time to get the details on the books.

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It's no secret that Ronda Rousey is the face of the women's division of UFC -- if not the entire promotion -- but in packs of 2015 Topps UFC Champions we're seeing a new showdown when it comes to autographs.

It's Paige VanZant vs. Rousey for all the marbles -- or at least collectors' dollars -- so far in the first few days of the product's release.

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There are seven new products on tap for this week with a new addition to the Topps Heritage baseball line and the debut of Panini Contenders Draft on the hardcourt notables along with the latest football releases for Panini Playbook and Topps Finest.

Topps celebrates the 65th anniversary of its first baseball card set with 2015 Topps Heritage '51 Collection, which is a boxed set of 104 cards created in the style of the company's simple 1951 release with every set including 21 parallel cards and a certified autograph.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

Continue reading →