UFC Strike Review And Checklist

Shaiel Ben-Ephraim
Shaiel Ben-Ephraim May 31, 2022
0


On January 23, 2022, the first official UFC NFTs dropped. Vancouver-based Dapper Labs, best known for their NBA Top Shot release, is behind UFC Strike. UFC has has a meteoric rise in recent years to the top of the pile in martial arts spectator sports. But as we all know, the NFT market is softening. So, how strong is this line? Find out in our UFC Strike review and checklist.

UFC Strike Review And Checklist: The Pros Of UFC Strike

Look for UFC Prizm autos on eBay.

The pace of UFC events heavily rewards the NFT format of drops and releases. Unfortunately, the NBA season has a certain amount of drudgery and repetition, and standout events like the All-Star Weekend and the Finals are few and far between.

Meanwhile, UFC has specific big-ticket events and fight weeks. It allows Dapper Labs to release relevant limited edition NFTs promptly. Indeed, the Vancouver-based company has done an excellent job using the calendar to its advantage.

The big-ticket event-oriented calendar is a valuable element of the release. When fans feel excited about a specific event, they will be motivated to buy relevant NFTs. Therefore, the biggest and most memorable fights are likely to produce higher-value moments.

UFC President Dana White is fully aware of this potential. He noted, “If it keeps heading in the direction it’s heading in now, it’s going to be massive. We’re even at a point now where Dapper Labs is creating a variety of content during fight week. The open workouts, the press conferences, the weigh-ins, and things like that.”

Finally, Dapper Labs has proven itself to be an innovative and highly competent force in the NFT world. As a result, their products are more likely than most to maintain and accrue in value.

UFC Strike Review And Checklist: The Cons Of UFC Strike

Not everyone loves the UFC NFTs. Perhaps most remarkably, notable UFC fighter Nate Diaz called the release “bullshit.”

However, keep in mind that Diaz and his brother have both been in trouble with the UFC for cannabis use. Therefore, they believe it is unfair for the federation to profit off its image.

A Bungled Release

See what Top Shot moments are for sale on eBay. 

On January 31, 2022, the initial release saw packs underperform in terms of hits, and the distribution of moments was not as advertised. A Dapper Labs statement acknowledged that: “We discovered after the drop that there was a bug with the new pack-stuffing tool that didn’t meet our expectations or standard of excellence. As a result, we utilized a new technology to assemble and distribute the packs to provide a smoother experience to our collectors and new UFC fans. Unfortunately, after the drop, we discovered that the new tool did not work as intended and did not properly include the expected amount of Champion Tier Moments in the packs just sold.”

The Long-Term Popularity Problem

In general, the value of NFTs and Crypto has taken a hit recently. There is a significant amount of backlash against the format. In addition, UFC is highly popular, but it’s not clear that it will remain a top sport in the long run.

The overall volume of sales on the platform is not particularly auspicious. In February, at its peak, UFC Strike rung up $613,277 in one day. But recent figures are dismal. On May 29, 2022, sales totaled a mere $11,259. The market cap of UFC Strike has also been shrinking but more slowly. Whereas it stood at $15.71 million on April 19, it sits at $10.52 million heading to the end of the month.

Therefore, heavy investment in UFC Strike seems risky.

Signing Up For UFC Strike

If you don’t have a Dapper Labs account, you will need to get one to use UFC Strike. Considering that the company is already the premier NBA and NFL NFT maker, that is probably a good idea anyway.

Signing up is a reasonably straightforward process since the account merges with existing Google, Apple, and social media accounts.

I already have an NBA Top Shot account. So, I thought the UFC Strike account would merge with that one. However, it did not. But the good news is that my Dapper Balance from Top Shot does carry over from Top Shot to UFC Strike.

How To Pay For UFC Strike NFTS

Dapper Labs has made paying for their NFTs quite simple. The company has its own blockchain and allows users to purchase directly using their credit card or bank account through their online wallet. Therefore, you do not need cryptocurrency to purchase moments through Dapper Labs. You can also withdraw profits made through the sale of moments quickly and easily.

You can pool your resources from different lines (Top Shot, NFL All Day, UFC Strike), as there is only one Dapper Labs wallet per user.

I made sure to put my $10 to good use. I got an Andrea Lee moment from a 2018 UFC fight night with the highly coveted #4108 serial number.

Collection Challenges

UFC Strike has Collection Challenges, just like its older sibling NBA Top Shot. They debuted on the platform on April 8, 2022, becoming an inseparable part of the experience.

How does it work? When Dapper Labs releases a new UFC Strike pack, it is often accompanied by a challenge. You are given a time frame to complete the challenge, requiring you to purchase a certain number of moments. If you complete the challenge within the allotted time frame and hold all the relevant moments until the clock expires, you gain an exclusive moment.

For example, they had a recent challenge: the UFC Vegas 54 Collection Challenge. The challenge commemorated Michael Chandler’s KO against Tony Ferguson in Las Vegas, Nevada.

You received the coveted Michael Chandler moment if you held the appropriate list of moments (and it was considerably long) on May 17.

UFC Strike Review And Checklist: Value

I was unable to purchase any packs in time for this review. However, I decided to look up a couple of pack openings on Youtube and see how they did.

Here is the first one I looked at:

Here are the three NFTs that landed in this virtual pack ripping:

Paddy Pimblett – UFC Fight Night 9/4/21

 

 $5
Luke Sanders – UFC Fight Night 2/7/19 $2
Paddy Pimblett – UFC Fight Night 9/4/21

 

 $5

Yes. They got the Pimblett moment twice. So, as you can see, the overall value of the contents of this pack is $12. At a buy-in of $50, that is not exactly a good value.

Let’s look at another pack:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUUMpxs9N7k

Here the Youtubers opened a Round One premium pack, which they bought for $250.

Chris Curtis – UFC Fight Night 12/4/21

 

 $2
Misha Cirkunov – UFC Fight Night 9/14/19

 

 $2
Arman Tsarukyan – UFC Fight Night 2/19/22

 

 $3
Conor McGregor – UFC Fight Night 4/6/13

 

 $390

The pack was very close to being a total bust. However, the Conor McGregor moment saved it. Still, I wouldn’t take much comfort from the value of this pack either. 3 out of 4 moments are close to worthless. Meanwhile, an NFT featuring (possibly) the biggest name in the sport doesn’t guarantee any significant profits either. Considering the NFT is the only UFC Strike moment featuring McGregor (at least so far), you expect it to involve a more considerable profit than $140 over the pack price.

UFC Strike Review And Checklist Of The Highest Value UFC Strike NFTS

We opened a couple of typical packs. But what about the highest value moments? I took a look at the recent sales to see what I could find. Here are some of the top and lowest asks on the platform:

Francis Ngannou – UFC 218 /75 $4,460
Valentina Shevchenko – UFC 261 /75 $2,497
Kamaru Usman – UFC 258 $2,300
Rose Namajunas – UFC 261 $2,100

The amounts here are nothing to sneeze at. But certainly, these are not great numbers for the top moments of an NFT series.

UFC Strike Review And Checklist: A Full List Of Drops And Releases

The Dapper distribution model is built around highly publicized and particularly competitive drops; as veterans of Top Shot will know, you are given a random number and placed in a waiting room when you sign in to a drop. You will be allowed to purchase a pack if they do not run out before your turn.

Round One Packs

  • The first series dropped on March 22 and March 24, 2022. It contains a total of 50 moments. There are two types of packs in this release, and a max of Maximum of 5 Standard packs and 1 Premium pack could be purchased per drop day

Here are the specs for each.

Standard Packs

  • 65,000 packs minted
  • Each pack costs 50$
  • Includes 3 UFC Strike moments
  • There is a 71% chance that all three moments will be Contender moments. In addition, there is a 27% chance to land a single Challenger moment and a 1% chance of hitting a Champion moment.

Premium Packs   

  • 2,250 packs minted
  • Each pack costs $250
  • Includes 4 UFC Strike moments
  • 1 Challenger or Champion moment guaranteed
  • There is a 90% chance the pack contains 1 Challenger moment and a 10% chance it includes a Champion moment. None of the packs will include both.

Round One Checklist

Champions (10)

Anderson Silva – UFC 126

Julianna Pena – UFC 269

Glover Texeira – UFC 267

Joanna Jedrzejczyk – UFC 185

Jose Aldo – UFC 142

Jan Blachowicz – UFC 239

Stipe Miocic – UFC 239

Charles Oliveira – UFC 269

Matt Hughes – UFC 52

Robert Whittaker – UFC 213

Challengers (15)

Conor McGregor – UFC Fight Night 4/6/13

Kevin Holland – UFC 256

Islam Makhachev – UFC 267

Colby Covington – UFC Fight Night 9/19/20

Joaquin Buckley – UFC Fight Night 10/10/20

Ignacio Bahamondes – UFC Fight Night 8/21/21

Clay Guida – UFC Fight Night 12/4/21

Rafael Fiziev – UFC Fight Night 12/4/21

Jim Miller – UFC Fight Night 2/19/22

Jorge Masvidal – UFC Fight Night 3/16/19

Rafael Dos Anjos – UFC Fight Night 5/18/19

Ji Yeon Kim – UFC 243

Johnny Walker – UFC 235

Tai Tuivasa – UFC 269

Bobby Green – UFC 271

Contenders (25)

Khabib Nurmagomedov – UFC Fight Night 1/19/13

Alex Oliveira – UFC Fight Night 7/25/20

Bryce Mitchell – UFC Fight Night 10/31/20

Yan Xiaonan – UFC Fight Night 11/7/20

Wellington Turman – UFC Fight Night 8/28/21

Joel Alvarez – UFC Fight Night 11/13/21

Gregory Rodrigues – UFC Fight Night 10/23/21

Chris Curtis – UFC Fight Night 12/4/21

Jamahal Hill – UFC Fight Night 12/4/21

Viacheslav Borshchev – UFC Fight Night 1/15/22

Jake Collier – UFC Fight Night 1/15/22

Jamie Pickett – UFC Fight Night 1/15/22

Calvin Kattar – UFC Fight Night 1/15/22

Gloria De Paula – UFC Fight Night 2/19/22

Chas Skelly – UFC Fight Night 2/19/22

Misha Cirkunov – UFC Fight Night 9/14/19

Arman Tsarukyan – UFC Fight Night 2/19/22

Chad Anheliger – UFC Fight Night 2/19/22

Andre Muniz – UFC 269

Marina Rodriguez – UFC 257

Bruno Silva – UFC 269

Vanessa Demopoulos – UFC 270

Jack Della Maddalena – UFC 270

Said Nurmagomedov – UFC 270

Matt Frevola – UFC 270

Fully Loaded Packs

The first-ever pack released on UFC strike dropped in late January 23, 2022. Here is the complete checklist.

Ciryl Gane – UFC 265

Francis Ngannou – UFC 218

Deiveson Figueiredo – UFC Fight Night 7/18/20

Kamaru Usman – UFC 258

Alexander Volkanovski – UFC 266

Brandon Moreno – UFC 263

Petr Yan – UFC 267

Amanda Nunes – UFC 259

Rose Namajunas – UFC 261

Valentina Schevchenko – UFC 261

Aleksandar Rakic – UFC Fight Night 6/1/19

Julio Arce – UFC Fight Night 5/8/19

Luke Sanders – UFC Fight Night 2/7/19

Ilia Topuria – UFC 264

Ciryl Gane – UFC 259

Francis Ngannou – UFC 249

Li Jingliang – UFC Fight Night 7/16/21

Alessio Di Chirico – UFC Fight Night 7/16/21

Kennedy Nzechukwu – UFC 259

Tai Tuivasa – UFC 264

Chris Barnett – UFC 268

Robbie Lawler – UFC 266

Derrick Lewis – UFC Fight Night 2/20/21

Jiri Prochazka – UFC Fight Night 5/1/21

Justin Gaethje – UFC 268

Terrance McKinney – UFC 263

Ian Garry – UFC 268

Khazmat Chimaev – UFC 267

Michael Chandler – UFC 257

Alex Morono – UFC Fight Night 5/8/21

Dan Ige – UFC Fight Night 3/13/21

Paddy Pimblett – UFC Fight Night 9/4/21

Edson Barboza – UFC 262

Kai-Kara France – UFC 259

Cheyanne Buys – UFC Fight Night 7/31/21

The 209 – Nate & Nick Diaz Limited Edition NFTs

These limited edition NFTs were released in only 2500 packs in total.

  • Packs were $40 each.
  • They dropped on April 20, 2020, at 11 AM.

Nic Diaz – KO/TKO Main Card – UFC 47 – Mint Count of 1420

Nate Diaz – Submission Main Card – UFC Fight Night 4/2/2008

UFC 274 Packs

The packs celebrate the event in Phoenix, AZ, on May 7, 2022. The release includes 22 new NFTs. There are two types of packs available for this release: base and elite. Here are the specifications for both.

Base

  • 20,000 packs minted
  • Cost $20 each
  • 3 moments per pack
  • 84% chance of receiving only Contender moments
  • 15% of hitting a Challenger moment
  • 1% chance of getting a Champion moment

Elite  

  • 2,250 packs minted
  • 5 moments per pack
  • 95% of hitting 2 Challenger moments
  • 5% of receiving a Challenger and a Champion moment

Champions (4)

Carla Esparza – TUF Finale 12/12/2014

Justin Gaethje – UFC 249

Tony Ferguson – UFC 216

Shogun Roa – UFC 113

Challengers (6)

Rose Namajunas – UFC Fight Night 12/10/2015

Donald Cerrone – UFC 206

Holly Holm – UFC Fight Night 6/17/2017

Ion Cutelaba – UFC Fight Night 6/10/2017

Michel Pereira – UFC Fight Night 5/18/2019

Santiago Ponzibbio – UFC Fight Night 11/17/2018

Contenders (12)

Amanda Ribas – UFC Fight Night 6/29/2019

Andre Petroski – UFC Fight Night 8/28/2021

Angela Hill – UFC Fight Night 2/24/2018

Charles Oliveira – UFC Fight Night 8/1/2010

Andrea Lee – UFC Fight Night 5/19/2018

Jan Blachowicz – UFC Fight Night 12/16/2017

Joe Lauzon – UFC Fight Night 7/25/2015

Katlyn Cerminara – UFC 255

Matt Schnell – UFC 216

Nicholas Maximov – UFC 266

Randy Brown – UFC Fight Night 12/9/2016

Tracy Cortez – UFC Fight Night 4/17/2021

Vegas 54

Michael Chandler – UFC 274

Dojo Packs

The newest release only comes with one type of pack. However, there is a beautiful selection of moments on hand in this lower population mint. The packs go on sale June 1 at 2 PM EST.

Standard Pack

  • 3,600 packs minted
  • Cost $75 each
  • Only I pack permitted per collector
  • 5 moments per pack
  • 98% chance of getting a pack with all 4 Dojo Contender Moments and 1 Dojo Challenger Moment
  • 2% chance of getting a pack with all 4 Dojo Contender Moments and 1 Lyoto Machida Champion Moment

Champions (1)

Lyoto Machida – UFC 98

Challengers (4)

Stephen Thompson – TUF Finale 7/12/15

Uriah Hall – TUF Finale 2/5/13

Michelle Waterson – UFC 229

Bas Rutten – UFC 18

Contenders (4)

Robert Whittaker – UFC Fight Night 5/9/15

Gunnar Nelson – UFC Fight Night 2/16/13

Giga Chikadze – UFC Fight Night 5/1/21

Manon Fiorot – UFC Fight Night 1/20/21

Bottomline Of The UFC Strike Review And Checklist 

UFC Strike opened with a wave of popularity. In addition, the UFC format seems conducive to NFT success, and the product enjoys the backing of the highly successful Dapper Labs outfit. As a result, there are reasons to be bullish about the future of UFC Strike.

Nonetheless, for a product released in late January, it shows an awful lot of strain by May. Sales are a mere fraction of what they were to start with and the top moments are not worth what Dapper Labs would like them to be. It doesn’t look like UFC Strike is a path to untold riches.

But here is why UFC Strike will survive anyway: UFC is popular, and its format fits well with NFTs commemorating the big moments. In addition, dapper Labs has shown an intuitive ability to build releases competently around fight events.

Finally, the NFT market is fragile now. But what those writing off NFTs and crypto do not understand is that these revolutionary formats aren’t just a gimmick. Instead, they provide flexibility and security that is invaluable for the operation of modern commerce. As a result, the overall price of NFTs will rise again, and UFC Strike will gather steam along with it.

Comments 0

Leave a Reply