Celebrities seem to be just celebrities. People who live by and for us, doing their celebrity thing. The reality is that they are people, and some of them are dangerous.
Today we wanted to make a report talking about five celebrities who dedicate their free time to work out in the gym and learn martial arts.
These five celebrities could, any of us, knock us out in a jiffy with a couple of jiujitsu, MMA or boxing moves. But these aren’t the only arts they study. Let’s go through the list:
Demi Lovato and MMA
Pop singer Demi Lovato is not the first person most people think of when talking about a list of celebrity fight fans.
However, the former Disney star is not only into MMA, but she is a martial artist herself.
Demi Lovato is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt and her skills as an occasional mixed martial artist received praise from former UFC strawweight Emily Whitmire, with whom the singer trained.
In addition, the 30-year-old pop star attended UFC 175, which was headlined by Lyoto Machida and Chris Weidman. She also attended UFC 205 alongside Luke Rockhold, whom she briefly dated before dating former Bellator fighter Guilherme Vasconcelos.
Shaquille O’Neal and the UFC
Basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most beloved figures in the sports world. His great basketball career and his natural charisma as a sports analyst led him to media stardom.
This 2.3-meter-tall giant is also a well-known mixed martial arts aficionado.
Not only has Shaquille O’Neal trained MMA in his spare time, but the former NBA star has even stepped into the octagon at the UFC Performance Insintute to fight Forrest Griffin and Claudia Gadelha while UFC President Dana White served as referee.
Shaquille O’Neal is a big fan of the UFC. He has been photographed with former UFC middleweight Yoel Romero and current featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.
Mark Zuckerberg and Brazilian jiu-jitsu
After defeating Rodrigo Vargas by first round choke a few months ago, Paddy Pimblett made a strange call during his post-fight interview. The up-and-coming UFC lightweight challenged Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg to a fight.
While the connection between Mark Zuckerberg and MMA seemed odd at first, months later a video surfaced showing the business mogul training with one-time Bellator fighter Khai Wu.
The Facebook CEO’s skills earned praise from former two-time UFC champion Conor McGregor, to whom Mark Zuckerberg responded by expressing his desire to see the Irishman return.
In addition, Mark Zuckerberg appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast, during which he spoke of his admiration for Brazilian jiu-jitsu before referring to it as the best sport.
Halle Berry and the UFC
Movie star Halle Berry is a huge UFC fan. The actress has been to major UFC events, including the historic showdown between women’s MMA GOAT contenders Amanda Nunes and Cris Cyborg.
She’s also taken photos with featherweight contender Brian Ortega and even mediated the weigh-in face-off between Zhang Weili and Rose Namajunas for the rematch between the two.
However, Halle Berry’s true love for the sport was evident in the seriousness with which she prepared for her role in the MMA film Bruised, in which she plays a mixed martial artist.
Bruised features several UFC fighters, including Valentina Shevchenko and Miesha Tate. To prepare for her role, Halle Berry trained thoroughly and even underwent weight loss alongside “Bullet,” due to their mutual desire to look their best in their roles.
Tom Hardy and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Like Halle Berry, Tom Hardy starred in his own MMA movie. In Warrior, he played the role of a disgraced U.S. Marine turned mixed martial artist.
After starring in Warrior, Tom Hardy began practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu in his spare time. Since he started practicing martial arts, the actor has reached the rank of blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
However, Hardy is not content with just training and improving his skills in the gym. The Englishman has gone a step further than any other celebrity on this list.
Hardy has not only competed in Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournaments, but the actor has won numerous competitions. Hardy won two gold medals in a competition a few months ago.
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