Tom Hardy Enters BJJ Tournament At School In Milton Keynes, Wins Gold

The action star showed off his skills on the mat in an impromptu appearance at a BJJ tournament.

Tom Hardy Wins Gold
Tom Hardy Wins Gold - Image via @taped_fingers Facebook

Tom Hardy has again showed off his skills on the jiu-jitsu mat during a recent tournament.

It’s no secret that Tom Hardy is one of the most established actors in Hollywood today. Recent films include Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage, in which he plays Eddie Brock. In addition to that, he was famous for such films as The Dark Knight Rises, Inception, and Warrior, which were some of his biggest hits.

It seems that Tom Hardy’s ability to perform in combat isn’t just something he shows on screen. An accurate representation of his performance on the ground and on stage at a real-life martial arts championship in the UK.

Tom Hardy Takes Gold At Jiu-Jitsu Tournament

The 45-year-old was an entrant in the UMAC Milton Keynes BJJ Open 2022, which took place from Oakgrove School in Milton Keynes on Saturday.

Hardy, a jiu-jitsu blue belt, went all the way to the finals after taking out his opponents, eventually winning gold with an impressive armbar.

Although he goes by the name Thomas Hardy normally, the actor decided to enter the tournament under the name Edward Hardy.

The event was open to all ‘BJJ belt levels in adult, juvenile and kids divisions’. Hardy found himself going up against 42-year-old Andy Leatherland.

Leatherland actually entered the tournament after hearing rumblings that Hardy could be entering, per Daily Mail.

“I knew he fought in the last competition locally and won two golds, and I knew at that point that I fitted into his category – I was the same age, belt and weight as him.

“We used to joke that if he was to fight, I would be the one to fight him, but I didn’t think anything of it.

“I was contemplating the Milton Keynes tournament as it was very local. And then one morning – he goes by the name Edward Hardy – I saw that he’d actually signed up.”

Leatherland met Hardy in the finals, where Hardy won via submission. His opponent described the intensity that the actor brought to the mat, similar to that he brings in his films.

“Lining up, he was very focused. The intensity that he brought to his movie roles, he brought that. He didn’t say a word, he didn’t say anything.

“When it came to the match, you couldn’t help notice that it’s him, but then it just became a competition.

“I made a mistake and he capitalized on that. He absolutely nailed it, and he subbed me, and it was over relatively quickly.”

After their match, Leatherland said Hardy was a pleasure to speak to, admitting to nerves during the competition.

“Afterwards, he was absolutely sound.

“He said, ‘These things are nerve-wracking’ and though he’s often on the screen, he said jiu-jitsu is real and nerve-racking to do.”

Very proud to have sponsored the @umac_uk Milton Keynes BJJ Open 2022 through both Taped Fingers and @rosbo_ltdManaged…

Posted by taped_fingers on Saturday, September 17, 2022

Sean Rosborough, who sponsored the event, explained that Hardy’s victories were rather dominant and quick.

“I saw his matches, and he had submissions in them all – and they were really quick.

“He did really, really well. He’s not the highest grade, but you could see he had turned up to win, and he was impressive in every fight.”

This likely won’t be the last time we see Hardy competing in BJJ. He’s already won a tournament before in which he was also a surprise entrant.

Published on September 20, 2022 at 1:08 pm
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