Brazilian jiu-jitsu superstar Gordon Ryan has sparked a social media firestorm after announcing his new private coaching services with fans immediately connecting his premium rates to the ongoing controversy surrounding Derek “Moneyberg”‘s rapid black belt promotion.
The ADCC champion revealed on Instagram that he would begin offering daily private lessons at Kingsway HQ charging between $1,000 to $1,200 per hour for sessions that can accommodate up to four students.
“I will begin teaching privates at @kingsway_hq soon, probably from 11am to 12pm, mon-fri, and 1230-130pm sat and Sun, as ill be at the academy all day everyday until things are running smoothly”
Ryan posted.
The announcement immediately drew sharp reactions from the BJJ community with commenters making pointed references to Moneyberg’s controversial three-year-and-seven-month path to black belt.
“Will this get me my black belt in 3 years like moneyberg?”
one user asked garnering over 300 likes. Another chimed in with
“That price is a steal. How many privates for the black belt?”
The trolling intensified as users began calculating hypothetical costs. Dave Novigrod posted a detailed breakdown:
“3 hours a day X 365 days per year X 3.5 years; could someone get their Black Belt with you? What would that cost me roughly? 3+million? Do you take wire transfers? Asking for a friend; M****B****G.”
The timing of Ryan’s announcement appears particularly sensitive given his recent podcast appearance with Moneyberg where the pair discussed dealing with criticism and “haters” while conspicuously avoiding any mention of the promotion controversy that has divided the grappling community. During that conversation Ryan had shared his approach to handling negativity:
“When somebody says something that I don’t like, you know, I have whatever little emotional reaction I might have for a couple seconds, but very quickly and and quite literally in a couple few seconds, I think, well, is that true?”
Critics have been vocal about questioning the legitimacy of Moneyberg’s promotion timeline with ADCC veteran Vinny Magalhaes suggesting financial motivations played a role. The controversy deepened when it was revealed that Moneyberg’s coach Jake Shields actually delayed the promotion by four months due to concerns about the rapid progression.
The social media response to Ryan’s pricing announcement has been relentless.
“Derek Moneyberg paid you that much for the black belt ehhh”
wrote one commenter while another suggested
“Moneyberg can get the stripe on his black belt in 2 weeks.”
Some questioned Ryan’s business model directly with one user posting
“Wow. Dude claims to be a millionaire and has to go to instagram to advertise private training.”
The backlash highlights the broader tensions within the BJJ community regarding promotion standards and the perception of pay-to-play advancement. Ryan’s premium pricing structure while justified by his elite credentials and tournament success has become an unwitting lightning rod for criticism about commercialization in martial arts.
Despite the online roasting Ryan indicated he might adjust his rates based on demand suggesting confidence in the value of his instruction. However the flood of Moneyberg-related comments suggests the grappling community isn’t ready to let the promotion controversy fade away turning what should have been a straightforward business announcement into another chapter in one of BJJ’s most contentious debates.
