Tom Hardy may best be known for his acting chops in films like The Dark Knight Rises and Venom, but the 45-year-old Academy Award nominee has also turned into quite a martial artist in recent years.
After first discovering Brazilian jiu-jitsu during training for his role in the 2011 film Warrior, Hardy continued training after production wrapped and now he’s actually winning competitions in his spare time.
This past weekend, Hardy competed in a grappling competition in Milton Keynes, England, wrapping up wins in all of his matches and being awarded a championship in his division.
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Photos captured by a local photographer under the Instagram handle Taped Fingers caught Hardy at work, where he picked up several victories including an armbar submission in the finals of the competition. Hardy actually competed under his real name Edward Hardy, which can be seen on the certificate he received for his victory.
Hardy is currently ranked as a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and he’s been busy competing in different tournaments, including another recent win in the REORG Open Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Wolverhampton, England.
The promoter behind the latest event called Hardy “a really nice guy” who stayed to take photos with those in attendance after he competed in his matches.
His opponent in the final match was just as shocked as everyone else to see Hardy at the competition.
”I recognized him straightaway,” Danny Appleby told the MK Citizen. “Everyone knows who Tom Hardy is, don’t they? I was shell-shocked. He said, ‘Just forget it’s me and do what you would normally do.’”
Hardy has been a regular supporter of mixed martial arts and Brazilian jiu-jitsu ever since his appearance in Warrior. He even filmed a past promo on the set of the series Peaky Blinders for fighter Jack McGann ahead of a BAMMA event.