Former Sengoku Featherweight Champion Marlon Sandro Ready to Impress at Bellator 46

Jun 15, 2011

(PRESS RELEASE) -- As Bellator’s Summer Series Featherweight Tournament moves closer to its June 25th kick off date from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, the buzz continues to grow around Top 10 featherweight Marlon Sandro, who will be making his Bellator and United States debut LIVE on MTV2.

Sandro, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt who trains alongside UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo and Bellator bantamweight Eduardo Dantas at Team Nova Uniao brings an impressive 17-2 record into the tournament, and has made stops with Sengoku, Pancrase, and Shooto throughout his professional career. Known for his devastating knockout power, Sandro has recently put together a string of impressive knockouts, as his last four victories have come via first round KO for a total fight time of just 3:39.

Well rested since his last fight in December of 2010, Sandro is eager to begin the journey of becoming the next Bellator Featherweight World Champion.

“My ultimate goal here with Bellator is to win this tournament and become a world champion,” Sandro said. “With Bellator’s tournament format, there is a clear path to the championship. Fighting with Bellator gives me the chance to take part in the biggest MMA tournament in the world today. “

While Sandro enters the tournament perceived as a favorite by many experts and insiders, a loaded featherweight roster will provide a difficult test for any of the featherweights competing in the tournament, including UK-based submission specialist Ronnie "Kid Ninja" Mann, Bellator Season 2 Lightweight Tournament Champion Pat Curran, and fellow Brazilian Genair da Silva, who will meet Sandro in the quarterfinals on June 25th.

“Genair da Silva is very dangerous and has extremely explosive kicks and footwork,” said Sandro. “I’m going to have to be very aware of his kicks during our fight. However, the bottom line is that I want to put on a great fight where my hand is raised at the end.”

“Maron Sandro’s a huge talent in the Featherweight division and I’m very happy he’s now part of the Bellator family and will be competing in this stacked Summer Series Featherweight Tournament,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney.

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator

About Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company headquartered in Chicago. Bellator’s founder/CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production, television production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.

About MTV2

MTV2 is a man's best friend, available in nearly 80 million homes and with the highest concentration of males 12-24 and 12-34 on TV today. A vibrant mix of music, lifestyle and action sports programming, MTV2 has reflected the habits and behavior of young people since its launch in 1996. MTV2 is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom, one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.