Surprise! Hollywood hero Tom Hardy crashes jiu-jitsu tourney, captures gold medal

Hollywood actor Tom Hardy is no stranger to combat sports, having played “Tommy Conlon” in the mixed martial arts (MMA) movie Warrior. Hardy recently proved his grappling mettle — by winning a medal — at the UMAC Milton Keynes BJJ Open 2022 last weekend in Buckinghamshire, England.

Hardy’s participation was kept under wraps until the “Venom” actor took the mats, likely to keep the event from turning into a media circus. The 45 year-old Hardy blew through the competition and eventually won gold with a slick armbar submission over local ham-and-egger Andy Leatherland.

“Lining up, he was very focused,” Leatherland said (via Daily Mail). “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.”

Hardy is listed as a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.