Marlon Sandro was a monster.
He was the Fedor of featherweight, a perfect 18-0 slate (written incorrectly as 17-1 due to a disgusting daylight robbery in Sengoku at the hands of Michihiro “Dick Turpin” Omigawa), that was full of violent finishes and grapple-rapes, and a reputation in Brazil and then Japan for being a violent fighter capable both standing and grappling, Sandro had that which Fedor, Tyson, Shamrock, Naseem and other powerful, dominant fighters had – he had an aura.
Then came his loss to Hatsu Hioki on Soul of Fight, the final ever Sengoku event, and his – and their – swansong was followed by a swift departure Stateside to Bellator. There he suffered a surprise KO loss to top 3 featherweight Pat Curran, and the aura was well and truly gone.
But he has already bounced back, and on his day, Marlon Sandro will give any featherweight in the world not named Hatsu Hioki one hell of a problem. His career in Japan was one of the best and most memorable in recent (post-PRIDE) years. Enjoy, and Osssu!
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Twitter @DanielFletcher_ @PhuketTopTeam
