Bellator sign the former Sengoku Featherweight Champ Marlon Sandro

Bellator made another ambitious statement yesterday, this time signing the former Sengoku Featherweight Champion Marlon Sandro. Thirty-three year old Sandro is currently 17-2 in his Mixed Martial Arts career, and prior to defeat against Hatsu Hioki at Sengoku's New Year's Eve event was considered by many as one of the top Pound for Pound fighters in the world.

Here's the Bellator's official announcement (Full pPress Release at MMAMania.com):

CHICAGO, Ill. (February 23, 2011) - World number six-ranked[1] featherweight and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Marlon Sandro will make his U.S debut under the Bellator Fighting Championships banner, officials announced today. The Sengoku, Pancrase, and Shooto veteran will not participate in the upcoming Season 4 Featherweight Tournament which airs LIVE beginning in March, but will make his debut in 2011.

"Marlon Sandro is a phenomenal talent at 145," said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. "Our Featherweight division is absolutely stacked and Sandro pushes that talent pool to an even higher level, I'm thrilled to have him on board."

Sandro joins the top ranked Joe Warren, Bao Quach, Patricio Freire and Georgi Karakhanyan, to combine an impressive Featherweight division. Bellator Season Four will start on March 5th, with the relatively stacked Bellator XXXV fight card. The event will be headlined by a Welterweight bout between Lyman Good and Chris Lozano, as the fan favorites Dan Hornbuckle, Jay Hieron and Rick Hawn also scheduled to take part in the main card action.