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FIGHTER'S BANE: Tom Hardy stuns crowd after he secretly enters martial arts competition and WINS

The Hollywood star showed-off his skills with his toned physique and intricate tattoos as he stepped out in a blue Jiu Jitsu gi

MILTON KEYNES, ENGLAND: A month after competing in a Jiu-Jitsu competition, Tom Hardy again pulled off a similar stunt surprising many onlookers as he secretly arranged to take part in the fight at a local school sports hall in Milton Keynes on Saturday, September 17. The ‘Venom’ star participated in UMAC Milton Keynes BJJ Open 2022, held at Oakgrove School, and managed to defeat all his opponents, ultimately winning gold.
 
The Hollywood star showed off his skills with his toned physique and intricate tattoos as he stepped out in a blue Jiu Jitsu gi, as reported by The Daily Mail. The 45-year-old actor, who holds a high-level blue belt in the ground-fighting combat sport, was later seen posing with his gold medal and a certificate, which featured his full name, Edward Hardy. The ‘Mad Max’ star had earlier participated in a charity Jiu-Jitsu championship to raise money for military personnel dealing with mental and physical health issues.
 
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‘Tom was a really nice guy’

According to People magazine, a rep for the tournament's organizers, Ultimate Martial Arts Championship, said "Tom was a really nice guy" who "was very humble" and "happy to take time out for people to take photographers with him." The rep further stated that "everyone" at the competition recognized the actor.

According to The Daily Mail, event sponsor Sean Rosborough shared his experience saying, “He was brilliant. A lot of people were asking for photos, and coming up to him, and he had no problem with that at all. The mums were all over him. It didn't bother him." Tom Hardy’s final opponent in the competition, Andry Leatherland, told the publication after the match that he had signed up after seeing the actor's legal name, Edward Hardy, listed as a competitor. "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”, said Leatherland.  

‘I made a mistake and he capitalized on that’

About the actor, he said, “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” adding, “When it came to the match, you couldn't help notice that it's him, but then it just became a competition.” Speaking of losing in the final, Leatherland stated, “I made a mistake and he capitalized on that. He absolutely nailed it, and he subbed me, and it was over relatively quickly.”

Speaking of Tom's appearance at the event, one of his opponents, who wished to stay anonymous told MKCitizen that he recognised Tom straight away, saying that he was “shell-shocked” by Tom Hardy’s surprise appearance. He said, ”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’. He's a really strong guy. You wouldn't think it with him being a celebrity.”  The renowned actor reportedly got into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu when he trained for the film ‘Warrior’. In the film, he played the part of a former boxer who trains to be an MMA fighter.