CHICAGO, Ill. (June 14, 2011) — 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
