The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community’s most contentious promotion debate took an unexpected turn as Mikey Musumeci found himself backpedaling from his previous glowing endorsements of Derek Moneyberg‘s controversial black belt achievement.
Just weeks after declaring that
“Derek knows more Jiu Jitsu than the majority of black belts in our sport,”
Musumeci adopted a markedly different tone when pressed by Craig Jones about the financial guru’s rapid ascension to black belt status in just 3.5 years.
“He’s a hobbyist that likes jiu-jitsu,”
Musumeci stated during the exchange, a far cry from his earlier proclamation that Moneyberg was a
“genius”
with exceptional learning abilities. When Jones pointedly asked whether Moneyberg qualified as a legitimate black belt, Musumeci’s response revealed a careful distancing from his previous position.
“Did I give him his black belt? No. Would I give anyone their black belt in three and a half years? No no,”
Musumeci admitted, directly contradicting his earlier passionate defense of the promotion’s validity.
The shift in narrative became even more apparent as Musumeci repeatedly deflected responsibility for the controversial promotion.
“Again, I would not give anyone a black belt in three and a half years, but you could ask his instructors if he’s a black belt. The people that gave him his belt, Glover Teixeira, Lyoto Machida, Royce Gracie, all those guys, Jake Shields, you could ask,”
he said, passing the buck to the ceremony’s participants.
This measured response stands in stark contrast to Musumeci’s previous social media defense where he had boldly proclaimed Moneyberg’s superiority over established black belts and emphasized the unprecedented quality of instruction the financial expert had received from world champions.
During the podcast discussion, Musumeci acknowledged the visual disconnect between Moneyberg’s technical knowledge and physical execution.
“He definitely does not look like a black belt when he’s physically doing those positions,”
he conceded, though he maintained that Moneyberg possessed extensive theoretical knowledge from training with elite practitioners.
The conversation took an amusing turn when Musumeci described Moneyberg’s unusual training habits:
“He does those moves with socks on there’s no grip. I don’t know how he does it.”
When challenged about the physics of this claim, Jones countered,
“When you have socks on there’s no friction whatsoever you’re sliding on ice cubes.”
Perhaps most tellingly, Musumeci revealed that he had declined Moneyberg’s offer for private instruction, stating,
“He did offer me to train him, and I said, no, because I’m so busy.”
This admission raises questions about his earlier enthusiastic endorsements if he wasn’t willing to personally invest in Moneyberg’s development.
While Musumeci remained coy about specific financial arrangements, his willingness to engage commercially with Moneyberg while simultaneously distancing himself from the promotion’s legitimacy suggests a carefully calculated approach to managing his reputation.
Throughout the discussion, Musumeci maintained a diplomatic stance, praising Moneyberg’s dedication and work ethic while carefully avoiding direct endorsement of the black belt decision.
“Is he dedicated? Yes, and I respect that about him. He’s always nice and kind to me,”
Musumeci said, focusing on personal character rather than technical merit.
The debate has reached 300k views in under 24hours with over 2000 comments – compare that to any UFC BJJ card if you’re still thinking the stats are genuine.
That’s 4.4% engagement rate and a steady stream of views.
