A British rap star has embarked on a shock career change after it emerged he won a gold medal in the same jiu-jitsu competition that Hollywood star Tom Hardy triumphed in.
Tinie Tempah took to Instagram last weekend to show off his prize after emerging victorious at the third annual Reorg Jiu Jitsu Championships held at the University of East London.
The 35-year-old artist, whose real name is Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu, previously had a successful music career, releasing hit songs such as Pass Out, Frisky and Invincible.
He also has numerous awards to his name, including BRIT Awards, MOBO Awards and an Ivor Novello Award.
And Tinie recently added more success after dominating the competition after entering the self-defense martial art in 2020.
A British rap star has embarked on a shock career change after it emerged he won a gold medal in the same jiu-jitsu competition that Hollywood star Tom Hardy triumphed in.
Tinie Tempah took to Instagram last weekend to show off his prize after emerging victorious at the third annual Reorg Jiu Jitsu Championships held at the University of East London.
The rapper won gold at the same tournament that film star Tom Hardy triumphed in two years ago (pictured)
Tinie took to social media to share a series of snaps of himself sporting his medal as he celebrated his win with his team.
He also shared images of himself fighting his opponent on the canvas.
The triumphant rapper captioned his post writing: ‘REORG OPEN 2024 No Gi Gold! OSSSSSSSSS.’
He is so good at the sport that UFC fighter Conor McGregor praised him last year after he won another gold medal at the BJJ English Open.
Speaking openly about his love for jiu-jitsu in 2022, Tinie said in an interview with Reorganisation of charity: ‘I got into jiu-jitsu a couple of years ago and it’s amazing but very tough. I’d done other martial arts before and a bit of boxing but this really takes it to another level.
“There’s nothing that can describe what it feels like when someone spends five minutes trying with all their might to strangle you unconscious. But if you can get through that, you can get through anything.
“The atmosphere is great because everyone is focused on improving and helping each other. It sounds strange: helping and beating each other up. It’s part of the fun!”
Tinie follows in the footsteps of movie star Tom Hardy, who proved he was a real-life action star after winning two gold medals at a charity Jiu-Jitsu championship in 2022, with his opponent, Army veteran Danny Appleton, admitting he had to “give up” before having his arm broken.
The 35-year-old artist, whose real name is Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu, previously had a successful music career, releasing hit songs such as Pass Out, Frisky and Invincible.
Tinie took to social media to share a series of snaps of himself sporting his medal as he celebrated his win with his team.
The triumphant rapper captioned his post writing: ‘REORG OPEN 2024 No Gi Gold! OSSSSSSSSS.’
Opening up about his love for jiu-jitsu in 2022, Tinie said: ‘I got into jiu-jitsu a couple of years ago and it’s amazing but very difficult. I’d done other martial arts before and a bit of boxing but this really takes it to another level.’
A video of the actor emerged showing him dominating the competition and winning all of his matches in the REORGANIZATION Open Jiu-Jitsu Championships at Aldersley Leisure Village in Wolverhampton.
Teesside native Danny revealed he didn’t realise his opponent would be the Peaky Blinders star, who is also a blue belt, until he reached the semi-final.
He said LAD Bible On the “surreal” experience: “I tried my best, but he was much stronger than me, I have to admit. He’s a strong guy and talented too.
“I have a story to tell, the kids were there to watch, which was the most important thing, and I got a bronze medal, so it’s not a loss at all, and I lived to tell the tale.”
And on having to “tap it,” he confessed: “As soon as you know it’s straight and it’s on, if you don’t tap it, your arm is going to break. It’s as simple as that.”
Tinie follows in the footsteps of movie star Tom Hardy, who proved he was an action star in real life after winning two gold medals at a charity Jiu-Jitsu championship in 2022.
A narrow victory! His opponent, Army veteran Danny Appleton (left), admitted he had to “give up” before his arm was broken.
Tom began training with REORG and learning Brazilian jiu-jitsu while preparing for his role as an MMA fighter in the 2011 film Warrior (pictured).
Tom later recounted how practicing jiu-jitsu has been “key” in helping his “well-being” as well as his past battles with addiction and mental health.
She shared a passionate post on Instagram about the positive impact martial arts has had on her life and said she entered the competition as part of the global nonprofit organization REORG.
Tom began training with REORG and learning Brazilian jiu-jitsu while preparing for his role as an MMA fighter in the 2011 film Warrior.
More recently, as part of his preparation for his role in the 2018 film Venom, he transformed his physique with mixed martial arts training.