Mad Match: “Nice guy” Tom Hardy dominates in real-life Brazilian Jiujitsu tournament

Tom Hardy proved he’s been keeping up with his training from his days in the 2011 martial arts movie Warrior: He reportedly took gold after competing in the 2022 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Open Championship in Milton Keyes, England on Saturday.

According to the local paper Teeside Gazette, the blue belt quietly entered the Oakgrove School and competed under his birth name Edward Hardy — but that didn’t stop fans and fellow competitors from spotting the Mad Max: Fury Road star.

“I recognized him straight away. Everyone knows who Tom Hardy is, don’t they?” said one of Hardy’s competitors, local martial artist Danny Appleby. “I was shell-shocked. He said ‘just forget it’s me and do what you would normally do.'”

After submitting to the actor’s arm bar, Appleby admitted Hardy was the real deal, saying, “He’s a really strong guy. You wouldn’t think it with him being a celebrity.”

The amateur fighter was no slouch, for the record, explaining he fought his way to the medaling podium six times prior to facing Hardy; Appleby took bronze to Hardy’s gold. “[H]e’s probably the toughest competitor I’ve had – he certainly lived up to his Bane character, that’s for sure,” Appleby said.

Hardy played the brutal, muscled Batman villain in Christopher Nolan‘s The Dark Knight Rises.

Incidentally, this isn’t the first time this year Hardy has been spotted testing his skills. Last month, he also took gold at a charity BJJ event in Wolverhampton, England. As he did on Saturday, the scruffy Venom series actor took time to pose for pictures with fans.

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