In celebration of the first ever Sports Memorabilia Day, taking place on 27th April, we spoke to UFC enthusiast and collector, James Oxley, to discuss where his passion for collecting began and the incredible pieces he’s obtained over the years.
Long time passion turned new hobby
We begin our chat discussing the latest UFC events, which leads us to discover that James’ love for the MMA sport stems from his childhood, “I watched a lot of fights when I was younger with my dad, so it’s something I’ve always enjoyed.” But it wasn’t until recently that James’ passion for spectating developed into wanting to own a piece of the sport. “I’d say I heavily got into collecting about two or three years ago. I got a job after school, and with the excess money I had I would buy pieces of memorabilia.”
UFC Collectibles, run by Memento Exclusives under licence of UFC, launched in early 2022, meaning that James was likely one of the first customers to buy from the platform in its infancy. We ask James to cast his mind back to the first piece he bought from us, “It was the event where Conor McGregor knocked Aldo out, and it’s a piece of the canvas with aphoto...these products are pretty elite. I think it’s great for younger people who want to start collecting too. Then if you’relike me, you can just carry on! To be able to say you own a piece from the Octagon is really cool. It’s history at the end of the day. You only watch the event once.”
We then ask James an unusual question, but one that the team here have often discussed. Many canvas pieces feature specs of blood from the fights, an element which is appealing to many avid fans, “I prefer with blood! If I could choose. I have the Sugar Sean canvas, which I think was limited to six editions, and that’s got a bit of blood on!”
As one of our loyal customers, James has bought a fair few pieces from UFC Collectibles. He talks us through a selection of items he’s obtained over the years, “I’ve got one of the Poirier hoodies from when he fought St Denis. I think Poirier is such a great fighter, so I’ve got that piece hung up. I’ve got one from Whittaker too, I mean what’s not to love. Paddy Pimblett is another fighter I’ve got pieces from, and it’s great to support the British fighters. But my favourite item would probably be the Holloway shirt – it's a 1-of-1 from UFC 300. That was just an incredible fight. I think most people, even those who don’t watch UFC, have probably seen that fight and his knockout. It was crazy to watch – definitely one of the best knockouts I’ve seen.”
Late nights of auction bidding
UFC fans are often used to late nights, especially if they are watching from the UK. Those bidding on auction pieces also sometimes stay up to all hours to ensure they can win a bidding war, “I wasn’t in the UK when UFC 300 was on. But thenafter the event, I was trying to bid on the Holloway shirt and was staying up to make sure I could secure it. It's a proper piece of history and just having it in the collection really elevates it. So, it was worth the late night!”
But James is no stranger to this lifestyle and admits that most of his weekends are filled with sports, “My Saturdays will be Premier League and then the UFC events. I usually just get some energy drinks in and then watch until 3:30am or even 6am depending on who’s fighting. I watch the Fight Nights and Contenders Series too. It’s always late nights for me. But live sport is so much better!”
Having been with us from the start of UFC Collectibles, we ask James whether his collection is exclusively UFC or whether he has branched out into any other sports, “It’s pretty much exclusively from UFC Collectibles. From the first piece, I bought I knew it was premium and have just continued collecting from there. Although I do have a few NFL items from elsewhere. What I like about UFC Collectibles is how I know everything is authentic.”
A collection that keeps growing
With some truly exciting UFC events lined up for 2025, we ask James if there are any in particular that he’s looking forward to and more so, if any of them he thinks he’ll want to own memorabilia from, “Some fights haven’t been announced yet, but maybe a Topuria piece – the way he’s going at the moment is crazy! Volkanovski vs Lopez will be a good one and we’ve got a Pereira fight coming up too – so that’ll be on my list of events to collect memorabilia from.”
Finally, we pose the ultimate question to James. What would his dream memorabilia piece be, if there were no limitations – a question that takes James a moment to think about. “There’s lots I could say! Maybe a Michael Bisping signed fight issued shirt from when he became the champ. Or the gloves and shorts from that fight. McGregor and Jon Jones are other fighters I’d love something from, so maybe some more signed fight issued 1-of-1 jerseys. But there’s too many to name!”
Whether James manages to get his hands on any of these dream items in the future, we know for sure his collection will continue to grow.
As Sports Memorabilia Day approaches, it’s stories like these that remind us how important what we do at Memento Exclusives is for fans and collectors. It’s not just about the objects, it’s about the moments, the history, and the passion that they symbolise. Most importantly, it’s about the people who keep that passion alive.
Sports Memorabilia Day will be celebrated on 27th April annually. To get involved, share your collection photos using #sportsmemorabiliaday on social or send your photos into us at press@mementoexclusives.com.
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