The black belt is more than just a piece of cloth you tie around your waist in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. For most people, it’s a sign of a journey that takes ten years or more of hard work and time on the mat. It stands for thousands of hours of sparring, innumerable submissions, and a deep, personal knowledge of a harsh martial art.
So, what happens when money, fame, and power undermine that tradition? This is the story of how a BJJ superstar, one of the most respected technicians on the planet, went from strongly defending a contentious black belt to entirely disowning it. This led to a nasty feud that revealed a bizarre story of treachery and doubtful authenticity.
Mikey Musumeci calls Derek Moneyberg, the man at the center of the tempest, a “genius” one minute. Then he goes on a podcast and says, “I would never give someone a black belt in that amount of time.” What really transpired between them, and what does this argument make us think about how much a black belt is truly worth?
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