Jake Shields has found himself at the center of a jiu-jitsu controversy after promoting Derek Moneyberg to black belt but the former UFC and Strikeforce champion remains defiant about his decision while acknowledging he applied different standards.
Speaking on The Fight Guys podcast Shields didn’t mince words when addressing critics of Moneyberg’s promotion:
“Derek would smash all the guys I see talking s***.”
The confident declaration came as Shields defended his four-year student against a wave of online criticism questioning whether the 46-year-old businessman deserved the rank.
However in a revealing moment of honesty Shields admitted that Moneyberg’s path to black belt followed different criteria than a typical competitor.
“If Derek was a 22-year-old competition guy I probably wouldn’t give him his black belt quite yet. But he’s a 46-year-old businessman,”
Shields explained highlighting how age and circumstances influenced his decision.
The controversy has reached unexpected heights with figures like Gordon Ryan and Joe Rogan weighing in on the promotion. Shields expressed surprise at the reaction:
“I thought there would be a little bit of controversy. It’s like the biggest controversy and people are so butthurt about it.”
What sets Moneyberg apart according to Shields is his unique training situation. The wealthy businessman has transformed his resources into an elite training environment bringing in top-level instructors like Gordon Ryan, Gilbert Burns, and Mikey Musumeci for private lessons.
“He takes almost every day like three hours of privates,”
Shields noted.
“He’s bringing in all these top guys at his house non-stop. So of course you’re going to get good faster.”
Shields emphasized that Moneyberg’s knowledge and technique meet black belt standards even claiming his student has submitted current UFC MMA stars.
“He’s tapping current UFC guys. Yes I’ve seen him tap UFC fighters I’m not going to give any names because that’s disrespectful,”
Shields stated though he wouldn’t provide video evidence to protect the identity of those involved.
The promotion criteria became even more specific when Shields revealed that Moneyberg had actually requested certain benchmarks for his black belt.
“When he asked for his black belt he told me criteria and that was one of the things – he named some names to tap. I kind of laughed at him and mocked him and I gave him some criteria and then he hit all the criteria.”
Gordon Ryan has defended the promotion with Shields quoting him:
“The average black belt sucks. If you think this guy can’t beat the average black belt you’re delusional.”
Shields added his own comparison:
“Derek gives me a lot more trouble than typical black belt I train with.”
The controversy has even spilled into other gym environments with Sean Strickland reportedly confronting Moneyberg during Alex Pereira‘s training camp at Glover Teixeira‘s gym. Shields criticized Strickland’s timing praising Moneyberg for handling the situation respectfully by leaving rather than creating drama.
It’s been impressive watching Shields avoid taking accoutnability for his behavior.
