Craig Jones has extended an invitation to Derek Moneyberg to compete at the prestigious Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) following the financial guru’s controversial black belt promotion after just 3.5 years of training.
The offer comes as Jones faces mounting pressure from the UFC which has reportedly become hostile toward CJI due to the tournament’s financial success in its inaugural event. With traditional avenues potentially closing Jones appears to be embracing controversy as a means of generating buzz and maintaining his event’s relevance in the grappling world.
Derek Moneyberg‘s rapid ascension to black belt under former UFC veteran Jake Shields has become one of the most contentious topics in recent BJJ history. The promotion achieved in under four years through intensive private training has sparked fierce debate about the commercialization of martial arts and the integrity of traditional ranking systems.
Shields defended his decision stating:
“Spending countless hours doing private training with the best fighters and grapplers is gonna make you learn at a much faster level than someone with coaches that don’t care about you.”
The promotion ceremony featured notable UFC veterans including Lyoto Machida, Glover Teixeira and Frank Mir lending additional credibility to what critics have dismissed as a “pay-to-play” advancement.
Craig Jones never one to shy away from controversy took to social media to address the situation directly:
“3.5 year black belt to @derekmoneyberg, lot of contentious opinions online. I think there is truly only one way to settle this and that is in the pit. Who should he face?”
The invitation represents a calculated risk for Jones who has built his reputation on delivering high-level competition. However with the UFC’s alleged hostility toward CJI threatening future events Jones may be positioning himself to capitalize on the controversy while simultaneously offering Moneyberg a chance to prove his legitimacy on the mats.
The controversy deepens when examining the financial connections surrounding Moneyberg’s promotion. The involvement of former UFC strawweight Claudia Gadelha who actively promotes Moneyberg’s financial courses has raised eyebrows within the community.
Additionally multiple high-profile grapplers who endorsed the promotion have business relationships with Moneyberg leading critics to question whether financial incentives bought their support.
This commercialization aspect represents exactly the kind of narrative that could prove problematic for traditional BJJ values while simultaneously generating the type of mainstream attention that CJI thrives on.
The BJJ community’s response has been overwhelmingly critical with practitioners demanding competitive validation. ADCC veteran Vinny Magalhaes delivered a scathing assessment:
“Let’s be real: if a savage DJ kept showing up every day, trained like a maniac, never missed a class for 3.5 years but didn’t drop a single dime into a school account… This point, black belt from those dojo doesn’t mean ‘technical mastery’ or ‘warrior spirit,’ it just says ‘Promoting Machine.'”
Multiple practitioners have called for tournament validation with some specifically suggesting Master Worlds competition.
Female competitor Kendall Reusing already volunteered to take on Moneyberg and the gender gap.
The move also aligns with Jones’ brand as a disruptor in the grappling world. His willingness to challenge established norms and create compelling narratives has been central to CJI’s success and the Moneyberg situation offers similar potential.
Should Moneyberg accept Jones’ invitation the match would represent more than just a competitive bout—it would become a referendum on modern BJJ’s relationship with money tradition and legitimacy. The outcome could either vindicate Shields’ promotion or further damage the credibility of American Jiu-jitsu.
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