Sandro, Fabiano Added to Bellator Featherweight Tournament Field

Sherdog.com confirmed the tournament participation of both men on Tuesday with sources close to the fighters. Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney initially tweeted news of Fabiano’s signing last week but did not specify the fighter’s tournament plans.

Bellator’s sixth season is expected to kick off in March and will also feature tournaments in the bantamweight, lightweight, welterweight and middleweight divisions. Season 6 events will air live on Friday nights on MTV2 and Epix.

Sandro (Pictured) is no stranger to the Chicago-based promotion’s circular cage, having fought his way to the finals of the Summer Series tournament before being knocked out by current top contender Pat Curran. Prior to his showdown with Curran, the former Sengoku featherweight titleholder outpointed Genair da Silva and Nazareno Malegarie en route his finals berth. The 34-year-old Nova Uniao export rebounded from his loss on Nov. 19, locking up an arm-triangle choke to submit Rafael Dias at Bellator 58.

While Sandro owns a 3-1 Bellator record, Fabiano has never before competed for the Chicago-based promotion. Also representing Nova Uniao, the 36-year-old has not fought since ending his World Extreme Cagefighting career 13 months ago with a submission defeat to Joseph Benavidez. Known for his potent submission skills, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner holds notable victories over Ian Loveland, L.C. Davis and Fredson Paixao.