Arman Tsarukyan almost fought a Hollywood star; find out why.

Arman Tsarukyan He almost fought a Hollywood star. Photo: Reproduction/X

Arman Tsarukyan He wasn't going to be in a movie. While waiting in line to fight for the UFC belt, Tsarukyan almost fought a Hollywood star. The movie star refused the fight against Arman, giving the Russian his place. Shara Magomedov, 'The Pirate' of the UFC.

According to the North American website 'Bloody Elbow', Arman TsarukyanRobert Downey Jr., one of the UFC's top fighters, could have faced off against Hollywood star Tom Hardy. The fight would have been a grappling match on December 30, 2025.

“Few people know, but a possible opponent for Arman (Tsarukyan) on December 30 could have been one of the most popular actors of our time, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu purple belt Tom Hardy. But, due to continuous filming of a movie until March, he was busy,” the organization wrote.

The screenshot, shared by the 'Matysek88' profile on X, formerly Twitter, obscures most of Hardy's Instagram response after receiving the offer from Armand Martirosyan, CEO of Hype Fighting.

Tom Hardy was offered a grappling match against Arman Tsarukyan on December 30 but had to decline because he was busy filming. LOL. Arman ended up facing Shara Bullet instead pic.twitter.com/pjosw7KH5m

— Matysek (@Matysek88) January 3, 2026

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However, the visible portion of the message shows Hardy seemingly thanking Martirosyan for an offer that “appears to be far more money than any professional Jiu-Jitsu practitioner would normally earn,” before mentioning his film commitments between now and March.

Tom Hardy's refusal opens the door for a duel between Arman Tsarukyan and 'Pirate' on Hype FC.

Shara Magomedov must fight in Saudi Arabia in February 2025 / Reproduction Instagram

Hollywood star Tom Hardy has trained alongside names like Lone'er Kavanagh from the UFC. Furthermore, Hardy has been competing in grappling tournaments for some time.

With Tom's refusal on December 30th, Arman Tsarukyan drew with Shara Magomedov in grappling match, which was the main attraction at the Hype FC event in Armenia.