The jiu-jitsu community remains deeply skeptical despite Derek Moneyberg‘s latest attempt to validate his controversial black belt credentials through newly released training footage.
The 46-year-old businessman has found himself at the center of a storm after receiving his black belt from Jake Shields on July 3rd following just 3.5 years of training—a timeline that sparked immediate backlash within the martial arts world. Now, Moneyberg is arguing back with a video featuring himself doing specific with multi-time world champion Mikey Musumeci, though the reception has been far from the vindication he likely hoped for.
The footage, recorded in December when Moneyberg was still a brown belt, shows him escaping from what Shields describes as Musumeci’s signature submission.
“I’ve watched Mikey tap people out 50 times in a row with that same choke,”
Shields emphasized.
“Most black belts are not getting out of that choke. I can guarantee you that.”
But the community’s response has been harsh. Technical analysis from actual black belts paints a very different picture than Shields’ commentary suggests. Multiple observers noted that Musumeci never actually locked in the arm triangle properly, remaining in a gable grip rather than transitioning to the finishing position. When he moved to an arm-in guillotine, critics pointed out he was
“so far off to the side that he’s basically near taking the back”
rather than in proper position to complete the submission.
One black belt instructor was particularly blunt in their assessment:
“I can’t think of any person I’ve ever promoted to blue belt who wouldn’t tap him out 10x in ten minutes.”
Another noted that Moneyberg
“moves like someone who’s been hit by a f***ing car and then googled ‘Gracie jiu-jitsu’ and practiced for a month by himself.”
The situation grew more complicated when Musumeci, who initially praised Moneyberg’s dedication and technical knowledge, appeared to distance himself from the promotion under social pressure. According to Moneyberg, private text messages between Musumeci and Shields tell a different story. In those messages, Musumeci allegedly urged that Moneyberg compete and film matches to quiet critics, writing
“Please set it up. I’m literally being cancelled.”
He reportedly added that
“the majority of black belts are f***ed in jitsu”
and insisted Moneyberg could defeat average black belts.
Shields firmly defended his decision to promote Moneyberg, claiming multiple world champions privately endorsed the belt when consulted. He expressed disappointment in Musumeci’s public reversal:
“He graduated you. He backed up your black belt, but then the social pressure — he just caved.”
Moneyberg himself maintains this is simply a hobby pursuit.
“I’m a business guy,”
he stated.
“This is a hobby for me. This was about having better physical fitness and about having a great skill set of self-defense.”
The businessman acknowledges he may not defeat elite competitors but maintains his technical knowledge justifies his rank. He claims he keeps his body fat around 10% and possesses strength rivaling professional athletes, though he admits his conditioning is optimized for brief exchanges rather than extended competition.
Yet online commentary has been merciless. One observer described a moment where Moneyberg
“gets to his knees completely square… doesn’t even try to base or stand up,”
with Musumeci appearing to consider a simple osoto sweep before thinking better of it, seemingly concerned about potential injury.
“Truly black belt level,”
the comment dripped with sarcasm.
Others took aim at details beyond technique. Multiple commenters fixated on Moneyberg training in socks, with speculation ranging from hygiene issues to simple oddity. One person compared his movement to
“a baby panda waking up from a nap, but without the charisma.”
The controversy has also damaged reputations beyond Moneyberg’s own. Multiple-time world champion Gilbert Burns was spotted in the footage, prompting jokes that his
“greatest accomplishment to date”
was being
“roughly same size as Moneyberg.”
Shields has taken particular heat, with one commenter writing
“Seriously f*** Jake Shields, once a grifter always a grifter.”
The deeper issue extends beyond one man’s belt. Critics argue this represents a fundamental threat to what made Brazilian jiu-jitsu different from traditional martial arts. One black belt put it starkly:
“The whole thing about BJJ that made it different to traditional martial arts in the ’90s is that you couldn’t really be a fraud and succeed — you had to roll every day basically.”
When professionals with legitimate credentials vouch for someone
“when literally every single person who has watched five seconds of him on the mat knows he is not,”
it devalues the entire system.
The question now is whether Moneyberg’s wealth and access to elite instruction should change traditional standards or whether the proof remains in performance. As one commenter challenged:
“If Derek isn’t a complete fraud, why can’t he release any normal footage of him actually rolling where he doesn’t look like he’s new to the sport?”
With the jiu-jitsu community showing no signs of accepting Moneyberg’s credentials based on this latest evidence, the controversy appears far from over. As one person noted ominously,
“Keith Krikorian is gonna have fun with this one.”
