BJJ has grown to become one of the most popular martial arts in the world, drawing in a long list of celebrity fans along the way.
Tom Hardy has entered tournaments, Mark Zuckerberg took up training during lockdowns, and a whole list of other big names have found their own reasons to fall for the sport.
Keanu Reeves, Jason Statham, Henry Cavill, Demi Lovato, Batista and Guy Ritchie are all Hollywood superstars who’ve put years into BJJ. Gordon Ramsay also picked up grappling after trying his hand at MMA and sparring with Francis Ngannou.
Ashton Kutcher gets hands-on with Jimmy Fallon on live TV
Ashton Kutcher recently achieved his black belt under BJJ pioneer Rigan Machado, a milestone that caught the attention of many in the martial arts community.
The actor was congratulated for his accomplishment during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he spoke about the journey it took to get there.
When asked how long it took him to earn his black belt, Kutcher replied: “15 years.”
He then pointed to a photo of himself and Machado: “This is Rigan Machado, who is one of the greatest in the world. That’s my coach, and he’s coached me for 15 years.
“I feel like he gave it to me out of pity. He’s like, ‘You’re getting up there, man. You’re old’.
“It’s a huge, huge, huge, huge honour. I can’t put it [into words].” Kutcher then hit Fallon with a sweep before trying to teach him how he did it.
Tom Hardy turns down grappling match with UFC Star
It recently came out that Tom Hardy turned down a grappling match with UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan.
The actor was approached by Hype FC, who shared a screenshot of their message exchange with him on social media.
They had reached out to the 46-year-old about taking on Tsarukyan in a BJJ contest on December 30.
Hardy thanked them for the opportunity and for offering “far more money than any professional BJJ practitioner would usually earn,” but said he couldn’t take the fight due to other commitments.
Tsarukyan went on to face Shara Magomedov instead. The match ended in a draw after six minutes, with neither man able to find a submission.
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