Fansided MMA
FanSided

25 biggest celebrity MMA fans: The Rock, Snoop Dogg, Madonna and more

By Amy Kaplan

LAS VEGAS, NV - MAY 23: (L-R) Daniel Cormier, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chris Weidman pose for a portrait during the UFC 187 event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 23, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MAY 23: (L-R) Daniel Cormier, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chris Weidman pose for a portrait during the UFC 187 event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 23, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) /
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Venom's new trailer gives fans what they always wanted, no holds barred - Photo Credit: TOLGA AKMEN/AFP/Getty Images
British actor Tom Hardy poses for a photograph upon arrival for the world premiere of “Dunkirk” in London on July 13, 2017./ AFP PHOTO / Tolga AKMEN (Photo credit should read TOLGA AKMEN/AFP/Getty Images) /

9. Tom Hardy

Actor/Model Tom Hardy’s connection to MMA may have come by way of Hollywood before actual fandom. Hardy has starred in multiple movies based on (or around) the combat sports world including Warrior, a 2001 flick about two borhters who use mixed martial arts to cope with their lives — and each other.

Though Hardy hasn’t been spotted at live UFC events, it’s obvious that he watches them as he’s often said to be channeling specific fighters for his movie roles.

Hardy even cited former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor as his inspiration for his character in Venom.

“Woody Allen’s tortured neurosis and all the humor that can come from that. Conor McGregor—the überviolence but not all the talking. And Redman —the rapper— out of control, living rent-free in his head,” Hardy told Esquire.

He’s also publicly cheered for MMA fighters like his friend Jack McGann, a regional fighter who fought in Moscow, Russia last year.

So while Hardy might not be the most vocal about his love of MMA, it’s obvious it’s there.

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