Former Bellator Fighter Charged With Attempted Murder
A longtime MMA veteran has found himself in serious trouble in his native Brazil.
According to MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz, 40-year-old former Nova Uniao team member Marlon Sandro faces multiple charges stemming from two alleged incidents over the last three months.
In the first, Sandro is accused of seriously attacking fiancée Tayssa Wuensche in Rio de Janeiro on December 14, 2017. Sanrdo allegedly choked Wuensche out in the middle of a street, began punching and kicking her when she woke up and injured her arm in the attack. A police report revealed Sandro will face an attempted murder charge for this incident, which came to light after Wuensche made it public on social media late last year.
A second incident arose as well, with Sando allegedly breaking into Wuensche’s home Feb. 9, where she was again confronted at 6:30 p.m. There, he was charged with choking her with a pillow and threatening her with a knife while claiming she had ruined his career. He also allegedly threatened to kill her. Sandro was charged under the “Lei Maria da Penha,” legislation that protects women from domestic abuse.
Wuensche was reportedly saved from the incident by her mother and brother.
Sandro is a 37-fight veteran who has fought for promotions such as Bellator, Pancrase, Shooto, and Road FC. He last competed under the Shooto banner in August 2017, winning by arm-triangle submission.
However, with legal issues unfortunately piling up, he was kicked out of the famed Nova Uniao camp in December and is now unemployed. While declining comment when contacted by MMA Fighting, Sandro issued an apology on social media earlier this week:
”Guys, I came here to ask you a chance to work,” Sandro said. “I’m unemployed, I need to work, I need to fight, and I’m asking you all an opportunity. I have no problem leaving the country, traveling, working. I’m resolving my problems in justice.
”I know I’ve failed, I know I made a mistake, but I think that every human being has the right to redeem himself and try to fix things in life. I know I’m a good citizen. I know I failed, I know I made a mistake, but I know that I have a lot more to fix and get better.”
It’s important to note he did not address or admit to the attacks in his statement, noting that he only had ‘made mistakes’ and had a lot to fix.
An official date for Sandro to appear in Brazilian court has not been announced as of this writing.
