Tom Hardy is putting his fame where the mat is.
The 45-year-old “Venom” actor quietly entered himself in a martial arts competition last weekend, and proceeded to win his division with a choke-hold submission, The Guardian reported Wednesday.
Hardy took part in the 2022 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Open Championship, hosted in Milton Keynes by Ultimate Martial Arts Championships. He won all his matches, including the final, where he got behind his opponent’s back with arms around his neck and feet around the abdomen.
Honors went to “Edward Hardy” – the “Mad Max: Fury Road” star’s real name.
Tournament organizers said that despite his shaggy beard and blue gi, the blue-belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu was still easily spotted, and generously interacted with fans.
“Everyone recognized him but he was very humble and was happy to take time out for people to take photographs with him,” the spokesperson told The Guardian. “It was a real pleasure to have him compete at our event.”
Hardy won his division last month in another open tournament hosted by REORG, a charity that teaches jiu-jitsu to veterans and first-responders with injuries, PTSD or depression. Hardy is a trustee for the charity.
In the Saturday final in Milton Keynes, Hardy faced Danny Appleby, who told a local paper that he was stunned to see his opponent.
“I was shell-shocked,” said Appleby. “He said, ‘Just forget it’s me and do what you would normally do.’”
Appleby said Hardy was “the toughest competitor I’ve had” after making the podium in six tournaments: “He certainly lived up to his Bane character, that’s for sure.”
Hardy played a mixed martial artist in the 2011 film “Warrior,” in which he winds up fighting his estranged brother (Joel Edgerton).