Nova Uniao fighter wins in Japan

TOKYO, March 26 — As the Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics played the second game in their series right next door in the Tokyo Dome, Pancrase lit up MMA mecca Korakuen Hall on Wednesday with the second event in its 2008 Shining Tour.

The main event featured a battle for the featherweight division’s No. 1 contender spot between Pancrase veteran Miki Shida and Brazilian prospect Marlon Sandro. Sandro is a black belt under Andre Pederneiras

Sandro used his reach well, forcing Shida to backpedal for the majority of the fight. In the second round, the Brazilian connected with a well-timed uppercut that had Shida staggered. The Nova Uniao fighter capitalized on the advantage, charging forward with punches and eventually scoring a takedown.

Shida worked his way back to his feet, but the end was close at hand. Just as the Japanese fighter was coming in, Sandro connected with a textbook flying knee to the head. From there, Sandro rushed in with punches to finish off his dazed opponent via knockout at the 4:19 mark.

With the win, Sandro will move on to face current Pancrase featherweight champion Yoshiro Maeda (Pictures) later this year. Sandro is now 11-0.