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Tom Hardy surprised the spectators when he took part in a martial arts championship and proved that he is just such an action star in real life when he took home the gold.
The 45-year-old Venom actor showed his strength as he competed in the 2022 UMAC Milton Keynes BJJ Open, held at Oakgrove School in Milton Keynes on Saturday.
He had secretly agreed to take part in the fight in the gym of a local school, where he would knock down all his opponents.
Shock: Tom Hardy surprised spectators when he competed in a martial arts championship and proved he’s just as much of an action star in real life when he took home the gold
Crowds couldn’t believe their eyes as the Hollywood star stepped out in a blue jiu jitsu gi, which gave a flash of his toned physique and intricate tattoos.
Tom looked ready for action, showing off his jiu jutsu skills as he defeated his opponents and amazingly fought his way to the final.
The fighter, who holds a high-level blue belt in ground combat, made short work of the competition when he won gold with an impressive arm bar.
He was seen posing with his gold medal and certificate, which bore his full name Edward Hardy, but he more often goes by his middle name Thomas.
Winner: The Venom actor, 45, showed his strength as he competed in the 2022 UMAC Milton Keynes BJJ Open, held at Oakgrove School in Milton Keynes on Saturday
Surprising arrival: He had secretly agreed to take part in the fight in the gym of a local school, where he was going to beat all his opponents
According to an event description from the UMAC BJJ open, it was open to all “BJJ belt levels in the adult, youth, and children’s divisions.”
Sean Rosborough, who sponsored the event, said organizers knew the global megastar would come to the championship a few weeks early.
But he said they kept the actor’s appearance “to themselves” to avoid crowds of people “distracting” him from entering the competition.
Sean, 37, said Tom was “brilliant” with fans approaching him for photos, adding that the moms in the audience were “all over him.”
Shocked: Crowds couldn’t believe their eyes as the Hollywood star stepped out in a blue jiu jitsu-gi, giving a flash of his toned physique as he wore his top partially open
Unbelievable: Tom looked ready for action and showed his jiu jutsu skills as he pounded his opponents and amazingly fought his way to the final
Victory: The fighter, who holds a high-level blue belt in ground combat, made short work of the competition when he won gold with an impressive arm bar
He said: ‘We found out that he would probably come a few weeks early.
“But the organizers kept it to themselves and didn’t want crowds to distract him from what he was doing.
‘He was brilliant. Many people asked for pictures and came to him, and he had no problem with that at all. The mothers were over him. It didn’t bother him.
“And when he was fighting, he was focused on what he was doing. He’s great at Jiu-Jitsu.’
Schedule: Sean Rosborough, who sponsored the event, said organizers knew the global megastar would come to the championship a few weeks early
Mysterious: But he said they kept the actor’s appearance “to themselves” to prevent crowds of people “distracting” him from entering the competition
Speaking of Tom’s appearance at the event, one of his opponents – who was not mentioned by name – told MKCitizen that he recognized Tom immediately and said he was “shocked” by the star’s surprising appearance.
He said, Everyone knows who Tom Hardy is, right? I was shocked. He said ‘forget it’s me and do what you normally would’.
“He’s a really strong man… You wouldn’t think so if he’s a celebrity.”
Tom reportedly got into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu while training for the movie Warrior, where he played the role of a former boxer training to become an MMA fighter.
Child: Sean, 37, said Tom was ‘brilliant’ with fans approaching him for photos, adding that the mums in the audience were ‘all over him’
Moves: Tom was seen showing off his action star moves while beating his opponents
Those taking part in the hundred-year-old sport struggle with their opponents on a floor mat to arrive at ‘non-violent’ entries.
Sean, who watched each of Hardy’s fights, said the actor took quick wins in all of them to be crowned champion of his section.
He said: ‘I’ve seen his matches and he had all submissions – and they were very fast.
“He did really, really well. He’s not the highest ranking, but you could tell he showed up to win, and he was impressive in every fight.”
Sean said he had tried not to harass the star too much, adding that he felt the actor was having a “good time” at the local event.
Overjoyed: After one fight, Tom flashed a huge grin when he was declared champion
Victorious: Tom looked serious when he was declared the winner of his fight during the competition
He said: ‘We tried not to bother him too much. We didn’t break it. We just tried to keep it as normal for him as possible. I think he had a good time.’
Last month, the Max Mad star caused a similar stir when he showed up at the REORG Open Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Wolverhampton, which raised money for military personnel dealing with mental and physical health issues.
Tom most recently starred as Alfie Solomons in the final season of the hit series Peaky Blinders.
And he is expected to reprise his role as Eddie Brock soon for a third installment of the superhero film Venom, which is currently in pre-production.
Podium: Tom was seen posing with his gold medal and certificate, which bore his full name Edward Hardy, but he more often goes by his middle name Thomas