Tom Hardy 'raises the flag for jiu-jitsu' in Milton Keynes

When Hollywood actor Tom Hardy turned up to compete in a martial arts championship in Milton Keynes, it took most people by surprise. What they did not know is he has a passion for a charitable cause that makes him want to spend his free time being grappled to the ground.

Last weekend, Hardy proved he was a real-life action hero when he took part in the Milton Keynes Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Open 2022, held by Ultimate Martial Arts Championships (UMAC) at Oakgrove School. He walked away with a gold medal after winning both his fights.

The actor is well-known for playing tough-guy roles on screen, with credits including the BBC's Peaky Blinders and films such as The Dark Knight Rises, Inception, Dunkirk, Venom and The Revenant. His blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, however, is less well known.

But in fact it was acting that led to him to train in the combat sport, as he first learned the skill for the 2011 film Warrior - in which he played a US marine who enters a mixed martial arts contest.

Last month, Hardy was in Wolverhampton to compete for the first time in an open tournament. It was organised by Reorg, a charity that promotes the therapeutic benefits of Brazilian jiu-jitsu for the wellbeing of military and other service veterans who have serious, life-altering injuries, or who are suffering from PTSD or depression.

The charity teaches the Brazilian martial art that mainly focuses on ground fighting and submission grappling, instead of the Japanese variant which involves throwing opponents.

It is an organisation Hardy is passionate about and for which he is a trustee.

It was while competing in the West Midlands that he met the organiser of the UMAC tournament, who invited him to the Milton Keynes contest.

The actor agreed and entered under his own name, Edward Hardy, with only the organiser aware of his true identity so he could compete in a normal way.

In an Instagram post afterwards, Hardy said it was an "honour" to represent the charity.

"Their work has changed and saved lives around the world," he said, "by not only providing an effective, positive means for navigating and managing the challenging psychological aspects of military and first responder careers, but also has allowed many to find a renewed sense of purpose, identity, and community that's often lost when transitioning to civilian life."

He was also keen to promote the mental health and lifestyle benefits of jiu-jitsu and added that simple training, for him "as a hobby and a private love", had been "fundamentally key to further develop a deeper sense of inner resilience, calm and wellbeing".

Reorg's head ambassador, Braulio Estima, who has regularly trained with Hardy, agreed that jiu-jitsu was a tool which helped people who had "gone through so much adversity to find a purpose again".

The three-time world champion said it offered "discipline, respect and problem-solving abilities as well as humbleness".

"[In the martial art] you are dealing with other people's reactions and you can apply all these abilities to real life. You find there is always a way out and it also gives a lot of confidence, it's really incredible."

Mr Estima said it had been a "very positive surprise" for people seeing Hardy compete.

"Tom is an amazing person," he said. "He is one of the kindest people I have ever met and he has a very big passion for jiu-jitsu and wants to help others.

"Tom competes and trains because he really likes it and it's also amazing that someone like him raises the flag for jiu-jitsu and by doing so inspires others."

UMAC said it was "very exciting" to have Hardy fight at its tournament and he was sure his participation would "have a tremendously positive effect on the sport and bring an increased awareness of the great work he does for Reorg".

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