From Octagon to Metal: Designing a UFC Challenge Coin That Roars

Renae
Oct 28
6 min read

Updated: Nov 3

Holding the Fight in Your Hand

The lights dim. Music pounds. Gloves touch. And in a split second—history happens.

But what happens when the lights come back up? When the roar of the crowd turns to memory, and the only thing left is adrenaline in your chest? At Challenge Design, we don’t let it fade—we trap it in metal. We hold fight night in your hand. Something with weight. With meaning. With blood, sweat, and storytelling pressed into every ounce.

Let’s go backstage into the world of design, memory, and chaos-as-craft as we show you how these UFC challenge coins came to life. Spoiler: there were sketches, there were arguments, and there were moments where we stared at a fighter’s nose for way too long.

Two Sides of Greatness: The Art of Honoring Rivals

Two fighters. One night. No compromise.

When you’re designing a coin with TWO legends facing off, the pressure is on. You’re not just showcasing a fight—you’re preserving a rivalry. And that means every design decision has to walk a razor-thin line between honoring both contenders equally. McGregor vs. Cowboy. Jones vs. Reyes. These aren’t just matchups. They’re moments where careers were made, tested, or nearly toppled.

So we obsessed. We argued over whose name came first. We fought over grayscale vs. full color. We tested the grit of Cowboy’s sheriff-star badge against the boldness of “McGREGOR” until both sides felt like headliners.

It wasn’t easy. We didn’t want either side to feel like "the back." And we’re proud to say: they don’t. Each side of these double-headliner coins tells its own story—with equal weight, equal pride, and equal fight.

Etched in Silver, Burned in Memory

A fight is over in minutes. But the memory? That’s the real legacy.

These coins aren’t just designs. They’re time machines. Every border, every ring of text, every shine of enamel was carefully chosen to lock in a specific place, time, and feeling. "JANUARY 18, 2020 • LAS VEGAS, NV" isn’t just a caption—it’s a portal. The moment McGregor walked back into the Octagon. The moment Cowboy stood toe-to-toe and showed the world what grit really means.

That’s why we chose heavy silver tones and polished edges—because when you hold the coin, you feel the weight of that night. It’s tangible. It’s real. It’s not a souvenir. It’s a piece of history you can flip in your hand.

We believe the energy of a fight night shouldn’t fade with the final bell. It should live on in something that glints like an arena spotlight and punches like a walkout track.

Designing the Fight Before the Fight

You should’ve seen our sketch table. Absolute chaos (in the best way).

This is the part no one talks about: the design fight before the fight. We wrestled with face angles, zoomed in on logos until our eyes went fuzzy, and debated for two straight hours about whether Reyes’ name should be ice blue or pure white. (We landed on blue. You're welcome.)

And the fonts? Don’t get us started. The UFC logo has to sing, not just sit there. The VIP Experience had to feel exclusive without going full red carpet. Every stroke had to hit like a jab. Every fill had to matter.

That’s the kind of behind-the-scenes intensity we brought to these coins. Because if you’re going to hold fight night in your palm, we’re going to make damn sure it feels like it.

UFC 246 Custom Challenge Coin

Let’s start with the McGregor side, because WOW. The second we saw those tri-color bands—green, white, orange—we felt the electricity of a walkout before the storm. That flag isn’t just for flair. It pulses with pride, ambition, legacy. And right in the center? “McGREGOR,” big and unapologetic. The kind of lettering that dares you to look away. Above it sits the UFC 246 logo like a crown, and below, that glossy “UFC VIP Experience” stamp hits like a backstage pass to history. This isn’t just memorabilia—it’s the moment you felt the ground shake in Vegas.

Zoom out and the white border keeps things clean, classy, controlled—like the perimeter of the Octagon before chaos breaks loose. “McGREGOR vs COWBOY” sits up top, no drama, no need for it. Just names. Just impact. And wrapping the bottom like a secret only fans remember? “JANUARY 18, 2020 • LAS VEGAS, NV.” (YES, we triple-checked that spacing to make it perfect. Because design is war.)

Now flip it—and boom. You’re in Cowboy’s territory. That navy sheriff’s

badge doesn’t mess around. “COWBOY” is stitched across it in white, bold as leather and twice as tough. The badge feels like it could’ve been pulled straight off his gear. Gritty, grounded, no-frills. Same VIP mark below, same UFC 246 above—but the vibe? All heart. All dirt. All walk-in-ready-to-bleed.

The name order flip—“COWBOY vs McGREGOR”—wasn’t random. It was respect. Cerrone’s fans know: he earned that front spot. The navy and black outer ring wraps it all up like the kind of silence before a storm. It’s subdued. Steady. But don’t mistake that for soft—it’s built like Cowboy’s jaw. Matte finish, quiet flex.

Two sides. Two warriors. One coin. We put our whole designer souls into this one, down to the LAST border bevel. Because fight night wasn’t just watched—it was felt. And now? You can hold it.

UFC 247 Custom Challenge Coin

If UFC 246 was spectacle, UFC 247 was stakes.

The second you hold this coin, it hits you—hard. Front and center: Valentina Shevchenko and Katlyn Chookagian, sculpted in intense grayscale, staring each other down like the title’s already hanging in the air between them. The shading? Unreal. It adds this wild illusion of movement, like they’re frozen mid-stare on the walkout. Then BOOM—your eye lands on those fight-bright letters screaming their names in red, yellow, and blue. It's got that full-on marquee energy, like the Octagon lights just dropped and Bruce Buffer's in full throttle. And right below? “World Flyweight Championship.” YES. That’s the hit. The reminder that this night was earned—sweat, sacrifice, and all.

Keep going and you’ll spot the UFC VIP Experience logo, tucked confidently at the bottom. We added a punch of bright yellow there, not just for contrast (though YEAH it looks great), but because it’s our visual wink to the lucky few who

weren’t just watching from home—they were in that arena, hearts racing, voices hoarse, living it.

Now move out to the clean ring that wraps it all together—“HOUSTON, TEXAS – FEBRUARY 8, 2020.” And let me tell you, we went a few rounds on what to engrave there. Should we list the arena? A Shevchenko stat? But this line—simple, strong, unmissable—it pulls you right back to the place and the pulse of that night. That mat.

And then there’s that black outer edge—YES, the drama. It creates this cinematic contrast against the silver-tone core, almost like the lights cutting right before Round One. Minimal color. Maximum tension. That was the design brief. We wanted it to FEEL like a title fight before you even flip it.

But then—oh man—FLIP IT.

Now you're staring down Jon Jones and Dominick Reyes, and the whole vibe shifts. This side’s heavier. Grayer. Not grayscale, gray. Like the atmosphere when the GOAT is being seriously tested. Their names erupt across the middle—red for Jones, icy blue for Reyes—and they meet in the middle like fire and steel. And then, rising right between them: that yellow UFC 247 logo, standing tall like a crown over the chaos. This wasn’t a scuffle. It was a reckoning.

Again, “World Light Heavyweight Championship” anchors it like a foundation—because that’s what belts are. Proof of every hard-fought win that built the moment. And just like the Shevchenko side, the outer ring plants you firmly in time: same city, same date. But now, it’s a chorus. A refrain. Two fights. One night.

Zoom out, and the design starts to roar. Red, blue, yellow—dueling energies fighting for space. And the way those faces are lit? It’s not just art—it’s intensity, carved in metal. Every line deliberate. Every angle sharp enough to echo through the arena. This side leans into symmetry and contrast—two fighters, two destinies, one brutal 25-minute ride.

Because fights end. Arenas empty. But legends? Legends stay. These coins aren’t collectibles. They’re the roar, the silence, the blood, and the glory—etched so the fight never leaves your hand.