Two silvers for Song in blue belt debut at Marianas Pro Korea

CNMI's Ballen Song made a strong start to his blue belt career, winning two silver medals at the ASJJF International Marianas Pro Korea Jiu-Jitsu Competition in Seoul, South Korea, on Saturday, June 6.

Competing in the lightweight 76kg division, Song entered both the adult no-gi and master gi categories and advanced to the finals of both divisions.

In the master gi division, Song defeated Song Hyun Seok of Team Roots Korea before losing on points to Bae Sung Hyeun of Ratel Yellow BJJ in the championship match.

In the adult no-gi division, Song reached the final against Seungin Lee, the current top-ranked competitor in Korea's adult division. Song nearly finished the match with a leg lock, but Lee fought through the submission attempt and went on to win.

The result came after six months of preparation, much of it during the recovery from Super Typhoon Sinlaku. "It wasn't easy post-Typhoon Sinlaku recovery due to lack of power, water, and access to food," Song said. "But I did what I could with what I had, and that includes all the support from friends and family such as providing a facility and showing up to be my training partners."

The tournament was Song's first competition at the blue belt level, where athletes can have anywhere from two to seven years of grappling experience and often come from backgrounds in judo, wrestling, or mixed martial arts. Song said he viewed himself as an underdog with just three years of experience.

Still, he said competition is what keeps him motivated. "I am a firm believer that anything valuable must be earned through proof of work, and it's no exception for self-confidence," he said. "Signing up for a competition is my way of burning the bridge. Now I have to meal prep for correct nutrition, I can't skip the gym just because I got tired from my 8-to-5, and when all that is done the real skill training actually begins. Whenever self-doubt creeps in, all I need to do is look back at the wall of 1,000 bricks I have laid," he said.

Song's next competition will be Marianas Pro's first Dumau event in Guam this June 20. After that, he plans to return to Saipan to continue training for the Marianas Pro Championship in October.

Training out of TrenchTech Saipan under professor Justis “Cuki” Alvarez, Song said his goal is to eventually compete at the highest levels of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and continue to represent the CNMI internationally.