‘I’m Getting Buried With These Cards’ – MMA Star Ben Tynan On His Pokémon Obsession
Ben “Vanilla Thunder” Tynan catches opponents off guard and dominates them under the bright lights of ONE Championship’s global stage. But when the lights dim, he’s catching ’em all – Pokémon, that is.
The Canadian heavyweight builds his MMA legacy one fight at a time, then retreats to the Kanto region – not literally, but through the 150 original pocket monsters that have defined him since childhood.
It’s a passion frozen in time. The 32-year-old is loyal to the first four generations of Pokémon, untouched by two decades of franchise evolution and still fueled by the same childlike joy that made him fall in love with Charizard.
Some athletes leave their childhoods behind. But Tynan carries his with pride, hoarding holographic cards like championship gold and defending his original 150-card collection with the same intensity he brings to every match in the ring.
Most recently, that intensity led him to a first-round submission victory over “Rising Rock Star” Ryugo Takeuchi at ONE Fight Night 40, which emanated from Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, February 13.
But ask Tynan about his proudest achievements, and his Pokémon collection will come up just as quickly as any fight result:
“I just grew up with it. It’s a really cool concept, and there’s a lot of other stuff I’m into as well, just stuff that was around me at the time. I went through a Yu-Gi-Oh! phase. I went through a Digimon period as well.
“But I always stuck with Pokémon because that was the main big one. I collected all 150 cards, and I’ve always hung on to those. But the other stuff comes and goes. I go through a bunch of phases. I’m like that kid with ADHD that gets overly invested in something and obsesses over it.”
For those unfamiliar, the original 150 Pokémon – purists argue 151 with the mythical Mew – launched a global phenomenon in the late 1990s that transformed from a simple Game Boy video game into an unstoppable cultural empire spanning anime, trading cards, movies, and merchandise.
The franchise has since expanded to over 1,000 creatures across nine generations, with new regions, mechanics, and monsters debuting regularly to keep the machine running.
But “Vanilla Thunder” refuses to move forward, as he’s locked into the first four generations – Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh.
The self-declared Pokémon Master told onefc.com:
“I’m just into old-school Pokémon. That’s how you know I’m getting older. I don’t keep up to date with the newer generations.
“Recently, a year or two ago, I downloaded an emulator and was playing all the older games on my phone. My dudes were talking about our lineups and leveling them up, and that was a good trip down memory lane.”
Why Tynan’s Charizard Tattoo Means Everything – And Nothing
If you’ve seen Ben Tynan fight, you’ve probably noticed the unmistakable image of Charizard – Charmander’s second evolution form – permanently inked on his body.
For most people, tattoos carry weight. Every piece of ink tells a story, and those stories matter. That isn’t the case with “Vanilla Thunder,” however.
When asked about the deep, profound meaning behind that tattoo, the heavyweight shared:
“I just feel like tattoos should be fun and something that looks cool. My favorite tattoos are the ones that aren’t some deep, meaningful [tattoos]. I just like fun stuff.
“When I was younger, I was a good religious boy, so I always told myself, ‘I’m never getting a tattoo. But if I did, I’d want to get a Charizard on me, my favorite Pokémon.’ And time came, and I got old enough, and I was like, ‘Hey, I’m doing it. Let’s go.'”
But pressed on why the sixth mythical creature in the National Pokédex was his favorite in the first place, Tynan opened up about the sacred ritual every ’90s kid remembers – choosing your starter Pokémon at Professor Oak’s Laboratory in Pallet Town.
Charmander. Bulbasaur. Squirtle. Three options. One choice.
For Tynan, the choice was made the moment his older brother handed him his very first Pokémon card – a Charmander:
“It was always my favorite. I liked its fire, and it is a cool lizard that grew into a giant dragon. I watched the TV show, and Charmander was the man.
“He had a bunch of attitude. He evolved up, didn’t listen to Ash, and did what he wanted. I was like, ‘Dude, okay, this is the Pokémon I’ll get,’ and on top of that, it was one of the rarest cards that we could get. If you had it, you were the man on the playground.”
Tynan doesn’t play the Pokémon Trading Card Game competitively, though. He doesn’t hunt for new expansions or chase the latest ultra-rare pulls flooding the collector’s market.
He simply guards his original 150-card collection like a dragon hoarding treasure – which, considering his favorite Pokémon, feels perfectly appropriate.
The Canadian offered:
“I just collect them. I just hoard over them in my closet and watch over them like a dog with its bone, you know what I mean? I’m getting buried with these cards, alright? No one’s taking these things away. So, I got to hide them and be careful who I show them to.”
