We all knew Tom Hardy was a tough guy. After all, most of his roles portray that kind of character. Bane in The Dark Knight, Max in Mad Max: Fury Road, Eddie Brock in Venom, and even his rom-com role as Tuck in This Means War.
But we probably didn’t realize he was this tough.
Tom Hardy made a surprise appearance at the 2002 UMAC Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Open Championships last Saturday. And, what’s more, he went on to win the whole thing.
The surprise competitor takes the cake
The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Open Championship is a competition organized by the Ultimate Martial Arts Championships. It was held at Oakgrove school in Milton Keynes, England.
Tom Hardy showed up to the tournament wearing a blue gi. And although everyone recognized him as the star actor he is, ”He was very humble and was happy to take time out for people to take photographs with him,” a spokesperson said.
When he made it to the semifinal of the tournament, he was put up against veteran Danny Appleby. According to Appleby, he had already competed in around six tournaments and been on the podium on every occasion. But, he said that Hardy was “probably the toughest competitor I’ve had.”
In fact, Appleby told reporters that Hardy even said to him, ”Just forget it’s me and do what you would normally do.”
Holding a blue-belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and going up against veteran athletes, the actor went on to win the entire event. His certificate of achievement, which he held proudly, was awarded to “Edward Hardy”, his real name.
Probably not what we would expect from The Dark Knight star. But at the same time, we aren’t surprised.
Not a one-and-done
Though this competition received a lot of attention from Tom Hardy’s surprise appearance, it actually isn’t the first tournament he’s competed in.
Just last month, he also joined the REORG Open Jiu-Jitsu Championship, also in England. This tournament was organized to raise funds for military personnel, veterans, and emergency service workers. And as it turn out, the actor is a trustee for the charity.
He placed first in his division of the tournament as well.
After his win at the Open, he posted a photo of him at the event on Instagram with a caption that gives some insight into how important the sport is to him.
“Simple training, for me (as a hobby and a private love) has been fundamentally key to further develop a deeper sense of inner resilience, calm and well being. I can’t stress the importance it has had and the impact on my life and my fellow teammates,” he writes.
Hardy is definitely passionate about the martial art. So, it’s likely we’ll be seeing him kick butt again in future tournaments.