TEMPE, AZ — Local white belt Derek Messick, 34, reportedly told training partners he was “just here to learn” moments before sinking a full-force americana on eighth-grader Cody Nunes during Tuesday’s fundamentals class at Desert Storm BJJ.
Messick, a software developer who started training eleven weeks ago after watching a Joe Rogan compilation, was drilling the technique at approximately 400% of the demonstrated intensity when witnesses say they heard what sounded like a redwood falling in a forest.
“Coach showed it at like 30% speed with a gentle finish,” said purple belt Amanda Torres, who was drilling nearby. “Derek looked coach dead in the eye, nodded, then immediately started cranking it like he was trying to open a fire hydrant with his bare hands.”
Nunes, who weighs 112 pounds and has been training for three years, reportedly tapped four times before Messick registered the signal.
“He tapped my hand the first time and I thought he was giving me a fist bump for doing the technique right,” Messick later explained, still breathing heavily. “I’m not one of those ego guys. I’m literally just here to learn. That’s why I go 100% — so I know it actually works.”
Head instructor Rafael Canedo confirmed that Messick has used the phrase “just here to learn” a total of forty-seven times since joining the gym, typically within seconds of doing something that suggests the opposite.
“He said it when he slammed a blue belt during a guard pull drill,” Canedo recalled. “He said it when he refused to tap to a triangle and went to sleep. He said it right before he challenged me to a roll ‘just to see where he’s at.’ He has never once been here to learn.”
According to multiple sources, Messick also subscribes to a personal philosophy he calls “controlled aggression,” which he defines as “going as hard as possible but in a chill way.”
Classmates say the controlled aggression manifests as heavy breathing, a pre-roll speech about “not keeping score,” and then an immediate flying knee cut pass on whoever is closest, regardless of size, age, or the fact that they were mid-conversation and not actually rolling.
Nunes, for his part, appeared unfazed by the encounter.
“That guy?” the teenager said, rubbing his shoulder. “He does that every class. I just let him tire himself out for two minutes and then take his back. He doesn’t know what to do from there because he skipped that video.”
At press time, Messick was spotted in the gym parking lot recording an Instagram story about the importance of “leaving your ego at the door,” captioned with a prayer hands emoji and the hashtag #AlwaysAStudent.