Hollywood superstar Tom Hardy surprised onlookers when he took part in a martial arts competition in Milton Keynes this past weekend.
The actor known for playing hardman roles in Peaky Blinders, Mad Max, The Dark Knight Rises, and Bronson is a Blue Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has been training in the sport since 2011.
Hardy made an appearance at the Ultimate Martial Arts Championships Milton Keynes BJJ Open 2022, held at Oakgrove School in Milton Keynes on Saturday.
The 45-year-old surprised everyone in attendance just by being there before he took to things to another level by showing off his elite-level grappling skills which allowed him to beat all his opponents and claim gold.
“Tom was a really nice guy,” a UMAC spokesman told The MK Citizen.
“Everyone recognised him but he was very humble and was happy to take time out for people to take photographs with him.
“It was a real pleasure to have him compete at our event.”
Sean Rosborough, who sponsored the event, said they knew the superstar would attend a few weeks in advance but kept it to themselves to stop masses of people ‘distracting’ him from taking part in the competition.
This is not the first time Hardy has made a shock appearance at a BJJ competition.
Just last month he picked up two submission victories at an event in Wolverhampton that was held to raise money for a charity that supports training for military personnel and first responders facing severe mental and physical issues.
For many, Hardy’s skills on the mat came as a huge shock but the Englishman has been training in a variety of martial arts since shooting a movie about MMA back in 2011.
To prepare for his role in ‘Warrior’, Hardy essentially lived the life of a fighter and gained 28lbs of muscle to create a physique that he later used to portray Bane in Christopher Nolan’s final Batman film.
Since then, Hardy has kept up his training, and as well as being a talented BJJ player, he is also a very good boxer who has even been tipped to succeed as a pro.
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That’s not just us saying that. Jack McGann who has trained with Hardy and is a 6-0-1 professional boxer recently suggested the one-time Oscar nominee would be a success if ever decided to ditch acting and pursue fighting as a career.
“He’s one of the loveliest, nicest people you’ll meet,” McGann told Sloth Boxx.
“When it comes to fighting and boxing, he’s got that little nasty streak which is what you need. He bites down, goes forward, doesn’t back up. I wouldn’t like to see him change profession but if he had to, he’d do really well.”
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