Ronda Rousey settles debate over Tom Hardy vs Jake Gyllenhaal question that had fans talking after Road House release

Ronda Rousey believes Tom Hardy would beat Jake Gyllenhaal if the two – who have played renowned fighters on screen – ever met in the cage.

Gyllenhaal has become a name in the combat sports world having starred alongside UFC superstar Conor McGregor in a remake of Hollywood classic Road House, playing the role of ex-UFC fighter Elwood Dalton.

Hardy, meanwhile, played US marine Tommy Conlon in the 2011 film Warrior, which him compete in an MMA tournament and Road House’s recent success had fans wondering which of their characters would emerge victorious.

Chuck Liddell was one of those, with many having fun with it and joking about the animal that Conlon was compared to Dalton. However, UFC icon Rousey thinks Hardy would get the upper hand in real life given his previous experience as a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner.

Speaking to talkSPORT’s MMA channel, Rousey said: “I think Tom Hardy actually trains – doesn’t he actually compete?

“I’d have to say Tom Hardy would beat Jake Gyllenhaal.

“If someone has never competed before and trained in the gym, compared to someone who has actually competed, I think the one who has competed will win, I believe.”

It’s true, Hardy has a wealth of previous experience in combat sports, having trained regularly in BJJ while filming Warrior.

For him role, he gained muscle, almost 28lbs, which stunned fans when he used it to portray the hulking villain Bane in a Batman film.

In August 2022, Hardy surprised everyone by entering a BJJ tournament and securing a submission win with the armbar made famous by Rousey.

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Despite the fact his submission skills went viral, Hardy was able to silently sign up and take part in another BJJ tournament just one month later.

The actor once again beat all of his competition to claim gold and impress the world with the skills nobody knew he had.

Since then, Hardy has received a purple belt for his achievements, which was helped by training alongside stars such as WWE’s Kurt Angle and UFC legend Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson.

Hardy’s real-life experience makes him the heavy favourite heading into a fantasy fight with Gyllenhaal, who is undoubtedly the less accomplished martial artist.

However, the Road House main character has also been hard at work to play a role in a film, which has broken records for broadcaster Amazon, who secured exclusive rights to the film.

He also went through several challenging workouts to prepare his body for the event, explaining to Stern: “I trained twice a day for five months.

“I started at three miles and eventually, I was running eight miles. I would go and work out for two hours doing mitt work, heavy bag and speed bags.

“Over five months, every single day, twice a day you just start learning the techniques.

“It took me two months to get the speed bag and feel confident with the speed bag.”

Ronda Rousey’s full interview with talkSPORT is now available to watch on our MMA YouTube channel.