In the media landscape saturated with actors chasing credibility in fight films, few elicit genuine respect from those who’ve actually bled in the cage. When Gareth Evans, director of The Raid, brings together a Hollywood heavyweight and a UFC veteran, expectations center on stunt choreography and how well the chaos on screen can be captured. But beneath the stylized violence of Havoc, a rawer story unfolded. And it had nothing to do with the script.

A professional fighter can sense the intangible details, such as breath control, groundedness in movement, or even uncoached aspects that still emerge under pressure. Michelle Waterson, who has spent over a decade fighting in the UFC’s most technical division, came into the project expecting the usual from an action movie. But this time, she saw an actor who takes the combat sport very seriously.

In an interview with talkSPORT, she broke the usual post-film platitudes and said something about Tom Hardy that hit differently: “Oh, Tom is amazing. He has an amazing feel for… he is a martial artist… Like I wouldn’t separate him… I wouldn’t say, ‘Oh, he’s just…he’s an actor and he’s a hobbyist, like a martial artist.’ No. Like he, like, lives to be a martial artist. He lives that life.”

Former UFC strawweight Michelle Waterson, known to fight fans as “The Karate Hottie,” watched an actor train and didn’t roll her eyes; instead, she gave the actor all praise. The professional UFC fighter gave her honest opinion about one of Hollywood’s most physically committed actors, and called him the real thing.

That alone might’ve passed as respect for Hardy’s immersion. But then she took it further. “Yeah, 100%. Yeah,” she said when asked if Hardy could’ve gone professional in MMA. “It translates, because you see how dedicated he is as a fighter…or as an actor, right? How dedicated and how deeply he goes into character, into understanding the character, studying the character, breaking down the plot, breaking down the script. Those are all things that you have to do as a fighter as well.”

The endorsement didn’t come from a director or a co-star. It came straight from a fighter who knows what it takes to step into a cage with real consequences. When Michelle Waterson says someone like Tom Hardy could have belonged there, fans should pay attention.

Waterson’s comments weren’t hypothetical as she recognized Hardy’s current martial arts path. His steady involvement in BJJ hinted at the road not taken. “I know that he’s pursuing like different tournaments here and there as a jiu-jitsu practitioner. But yeah—I feel like in another life, he was probably a fighter. A warrior, you know?”

Hardy has been building this reputation quietly. His entry into competitive Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was subtle, not widely publicized. Yet he showed up to tournaments, registered under his legal name, competed, and won. He didn’t do it for publicity as he went without a camera crew. He didn’t make documentaries out of it. Yet, he earned his place among practitioners who couldn’t care less about red carpets.

Tom Hardy authenticity made UFC veteran Michelle Waterson-Gomez feel right at home on set

With Havoc set to release on Netflix on April 25, viewers can expect action rooted in authentic combat energy. Evans never leans on spectacle for its own sake. For Waterson, the set was a playground built for people like her. For someone who understands the rhythm of real violence, she had a great time on the set. “I was having a blast,” she said. “I was like a kid in a candy shop. Like, come on…a professional fighter, you get to do a movie with one of the best: Gareth Evans, Tom Hardy…come on. Tom Hardy’s a legend when it comes to MMA films, and so it was just kind of a dream come true for me.”

And Waterson noticed. “It made me feel like I could fit right in, you know? Like, he’s a guy’s guy, he’s just like all my teammates back at home. And so I think that’s why I was able to kind of feel comfortable around him.” That level of familiarity, for someone who has trained under the hardest of pressure, comes from body language and real-time skill.

With Havoc set to hit Netflix on April 25, Tom Hardy and Michelle Waterson-Gomez are making waves beyond the film itself. Hardy stepped up big time by pledging around $315,000 to cover lost wages for set workers on his new series Fixer, after their construction company went under. Waterson-Gomez, after stepping away from MMA post-UFC 303, is now focusing her efforts on acting, broadcasting, and coaching. She is determined to uplift fellow female athletes and businesswomen, proudly reflecting on her 17-year career.

Could Tom Hardy, with his dedication and training, have succeeded in the MMA world? Or does the transition from screen to octagon require a different caliber of commitment? Share your thoughts in the comments below.