Mark Zuckerberg, Tom Hardy and more: 5 celebrities who study martial arts and are massive MMA fans

MMA has taken the sports world by storm. No longer is boxing the only combat sport that draws significant attention from fight fans across the globe. The more fluid ruleset in MMA led to greater interest from spectators of any competitive martial arts.

The possibility of seeing a spinning elbow or a guillotine choke in the same sport led to a massive surge in interest. That led to MMA's introduction to mainstream media. What followed was an increase in the number of casual practitioners in martial arts and MMA in general. Wiz Khalifa, a popular rapper, included MMA as part of his training regimen to gain more weight.

Many other celebrities followed in his footsteps as far as exhibiting an interest in MMA was concerned. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson was tasked with wrapping the symbolic BMF championship belt around Jorge Masvidal's waist after 'Gamebred' defeated Nate Diaz at UFC 244.

Alas, 'The Rock' never took the extra step of actually studying or training in any martial art. Thus, he won't be included on the list below as this article explores five celebrities who are MMA fans but also partake in martial arts training.

---

#5. Demi Lovato

Pop singer Demi Lovato isn't the first person that most people think of when a list of celebrity MMA fans is discussed. However, the former Disney star not only enjoys MMA, she's a martial artist herself.

Demi Lovato is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt whose skills as a casual mixed martial artist earned praise from former UFC strawweight Emily Whitmire, with whom the singer trained.

Additionally, the 30-year-old popstar attended UFC 175, which was headlined by Lyoto Machida and Chris Weidman. She also attended UFC 205 alongside Luke Rockhold, who she briefly dated before next dating former Bellator fighter Guilherme Vasconcelos.

The pop singer's love for the sport once ran so deep that in 2016, her coach claimed that she spoke about potentially having a sanctioned bout. Despite those claims, the popular artist took a break from Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which she covered during her appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast.

---

#4. Shaquille O’Neal

Legendary basketball player Shaquille O'Neal is one of the most beloved figures in the world of sports. His all-time great basketball career and natural charisma as a sports analyst led to his ascension to media superstardom. The 7-feet-1-inch-tall giant is also a well-known mixed martial arts fan.

Not only has Shaquille O'Neal pursued MMA training in his spare time, but the former NBA star has even stepped inside the octagon at the UFC Performance Insintute to grapple with Forrest Griffin and Claudia Gadelha while UFC president Dana White served as the referee.

It should then come as no surprise that the former NBA star is a massive UFC fan. Shaquille O'Neal has had photo ops with former UFC middleweight Yoel Romero and the promotion's reigning featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.

Furthermore, the basketball legend has had a humorous interaction with heavyweight kingpin Francis Ngannou. On one occasion, 'The Predator' demonstrated his strength by lifting him.

---

#3. Mark Zuckerberg

After securing a first-round rear-naked choke over Rodrigo Vargas months ago, Paddy Pimblett made a bizarre callout during his post-fight interview. The surging 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, a video surfaced months later showing the business magnate training with one-time Bellator fighter Khai Wu. The Facebook CEO's skills earned praise from former UFC double champion Conor McGregor, to whom Mark Zuckerberg responded by expressing his desire to see the Irishman return.

Additionally, Mark Zuckerberg appeared on Joe Rogan's podcast, during which he spoke about his admiration for Brazilian jiu-jitsu before referring to it as the best sport. He also expressed his desire to enter a BJJ competition by his 40th birthday.

---

#2. Halle Berry

Movie star Halle Berry is a big UFC fan. She's been spotted at numerous UFC events, including the historic clash between women's MMA GOAT contenders Amanda Nunes and Cris Cyborg. Furthermore, Halle Berry was present to watch the former Invicta FC featherweight champion get her gloves wrapped prior to the bout.

She was also spotted taking pictures with featherweight contender Brian Ortega and even mediated the weigh-in staredown between Zhang Weili and Rose Namajunas for the pair's rematch. However, Halle Berry's true love for the sport was best expressed by how seriously she prepared for her role in the MMA film Bruised, where she plays a mixed martial artist.

Bruised featured several UFC fighters, including Valentina Shevchenko and Miesha Tate. To prepare for her role, Halle Berry trained extensively and even underwent a weight cut alongside 'Bullet' due to their mutual desire to look as good in their roles as possible.

The two women bonded over the anguish from their joint weight cut and inevitably struck up a friendship.

---

#1. Tom Hardy

Like Halle Berry, Tom Hardy starred in an MMA film of his own. In Warrior, he played the role of a disgraced U.S. Marine-turned-mixed martial artist. Well-known former UFC fighters such as Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson, Nate Marquardt and Yves Edwards also appear in the movie.

After starring in Warrior, Tom Hardy began pursuing Brazilian jiu-jitsu in his spare time. Since taking up martial arts, the actor has achieved the rank of blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. However, Hardy isn't content to simply train and improve his skills in the gym. The Englishman has taken a step beyond every other celebrity on this list.

Not only has Hardy competed in Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournaments, but the actor has won numerous competitions. For example, in August this year, Hardy captured two gold medals at a charity competition. While most celebrities only talk about how much they'd like to compete, Hardy not only competed, but won.