Tom Hardy was a guest at the Ultimate Martial Arts Championships BJJ Open in 2022.
The actor is best known for his hardman roles in Peaky Blinders and Mad Max. Bronson is a Blue Belt of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Since 2011, the sport has been a part of my training.
As of late, he’s been putting his skills to the test. The 45-year-old picked-up a few new skills last month. two submission victories at an event in Wolverhampton that was held to raise money for a charity that supports training for military personnel and first responders facing severe mental and physical issues.
It was there that he met Mohamed Itoumaine. Mohamed is a Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt referee. He was looking to organize an event in Milton Keynes, to support local charities and encourage children to take up the sport.
“I’m an international referee. I reffed him two months ago at an event called REORG,” Itoumaine told talkSPORT.
“It’s a charity working with people suffering with PTSD and depression. He was there and he was already on my mat. He had his match, and we had a little chit-chat with him.”
Hardy agreed to attended Itoumaine’s tournament where he once again proved that he has legitimate grappling skills by beating all of his opponents.
While people all over the world are shocked by Hardy’s skills, the event organiser expected him to win after hearing about the Oscar nominees dedication to training.
“I’ve been doing this job for quite a long time, and I’ve been training to black belt degree,” Itoumaine added.
“So, we know about fighters. To reach a blue belt it takes you about two years and you’ve got to have solid skills to fight with blue belts. After seeing him fight, I was certain he was a blue belt who was going to win.
“I know he loves his sport and is committed to whatever he does. From what I heard, he’s very committed to his training and is very humble. That’s something that not many people can do.
“To go to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, you have to have the heart of the lion because it’s a lot of training, at least three times a week and people try to squeeze you and make you suffer. To get through all that training is amazing.”
Itoumaine was not only impressed by Hardy’s mat skills but also how he dealt with all the people vying for his attention while he was supposed to be concentrating on another man trying to tap him out.
“What I was really astonished about him, is he could split that stress between competing and people trying to take pictures with him,” he continued.
“He was really proficient in both sides. He is an amazing fighter. He is a master at dealing with people and images. I couldn’t believe it.
Itoumaine is thankful for Hardy’s presence at his event and in the world of Jiu-Jitsu which can only benefit from having one of the most famous actors on the planet publicly participating.
He concluded: “We are helping charities in Milton Keynes and him coming down is doing us a big favour. He’s going to show the world that Jiu-Jitsu can help and get kids off the street.”
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