Charles Oliveira has always been a showman inside the cage, but ahead of UFC 317, he’s displaying another side—one that doesn’t involve rear-naked chokes or spinning elbows. In the days building up to his highly anticipated bout with Ilia Topuria, ‘Do Bronx’ gave fans a glimpse inside his personal life. How? By giving them a look at his shelf and at his best-kept secret.

The secret, it turns out, has nothing to do with fighting—it’s a collection of colorful, wide-eyed Pokémons. Charles Oliveira has created a lively shrine to his childhood passion. “Since I was little, I always watched this and stuff. Dude, it’s cool,” he said with a big grin.

“Then I started collecting and putting them together, and then I started pumping and getting them.” His voice, which is often reserved for press conferences and cage calls, softened with nostalgia. This wasn’t just a hobby; it was a peaceful joy he’d cultivated for years away from the din of Octagon lights and pay-per-view cards.

When asked to name his favorite Pokémon, Oliveira did not waste a breath. “Dude, I think everyone is going to say, ‘It’s Pikachu,’ right? It has to be,” he said, laughing. The yellow electric mouse, generally regarded as the franchise’s mascot, resembles Oliveira in more ways than one—small, underestimated, but explosive when it counts.

‘Do Bronx,’ like Pikachu, possesses a unique charm that hides the power he holds. And to make things more interesting, Oliveira’s hobby is similar to his fighting career: obsessive, thorough, and full of personality. Whether it’s toys or fight bonuses, the fighter from the favelas won’t stop until he’s got it in his hands. There is a reason why he has a record 20 post-fight bonuses.

That approach is what makes his return to the title picture so intriguing. Following a convincing victory over Michael Chandler at UFC 309, Oliveira is now only one victory away from reclaiming his lightweight title. However, this time, the mountain is steeper.

Ilia Topuria, the undefeated storm, provides a combination of knockout power and persistent pressure. The Spanish-Georgian has already defeated two legends, Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, and now he intends to challenge Oliveira for the throne.

While pundits and fans argue if the Brazilian veteran’s chin will hold up, Charles remains unconcerned, promising another finish and another bonus for the shelf. As for Ilia Topuria, he too has shared a secret with his fans. What is it? Well, ‘El Matador’ has revealed the real reason why he vacated his featherweight crown to move to the lightweight division.

Ilia Topuria reveals the reason behind the lightweight move to face Charles Oliveira

If Charles Oliveira’s journey back to gold represents redemption, Ilia Topuria‘s is about the hunt for glory and legacy. Where ‘Do Bronx’ earns bonuses and Pokémon, ‘El Matador’ has full control of his own body, with the ability to dictate the pace wherever the fight goes. The undefeated phenom may appear to be riding a wave of domination into the lightweight division, but his confidence masks a history of quiet suffering.

His climb up the featherweight rankings came at a high personal cost. And now, ahead of his clash with Charles Oliveira, Topuria has finally stated why he chose to leave that belt and the pain behind it for good. The Spanish-Georgian’s statements were stripped of bravado and dipped in raw honesty.

“When you’re cutting weight and you can’t eat or drink water, you don’t care about any material things,” he told ESPN Deportes. Ilia Topuria further explained, “They can give you bags of money, they can give you all the cars you want, you don’t care at all. If they gave you this little glass of water and said, ‘You can drink this and it won’t increase your weight,’ I’d give you whatever it takes.”

In that moment, the man known as ‘El Matador’ transformed from a knockout machine to someone considerably more relatable—a human being who simply did not want to suffer any more. He compared the experience to being “naked in the street,” and the reality stung more than any punch he ever threw.

So he left the weight class that had given him his first title and moved into a division where he could breathe again—literally. “It’s like living in the desert, and I wanted to live on the beach.” But will this move pay off? Well, that is something we are excited to find out. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.