MMA Fighter Marlon Sandro Faces Attempted Murder Charge

Brazilian MMA fighter Marlon Sandro is reportedly facing both attempted murder and domestic violence charges for two separate allegations, according to Guilherme Cruz of MMAFighting.com on Tuesday.

The attempted murder charge relates to an alleged Dec. 14 assault on his then-fiancee. Per Cruz, "Sandro allegedly injured Tayssa Wuensche's arm, choked her out in the middle of the street, and kept punching and kicking her after she woke back up."

If found guilty, Sandro is facing up to 20 years in prison.

In the other charge, Sandro reportedly broke into Wuensche's house on Feb. 9 and "threatened her with a knife, choking her with a pillow whenever she started crying." He also threatened to kill her, saying she ruined her career, though her mother and brother intervened after she was able to text them.

Cruz noted Sandro was charged in the second allegation under domestic abuse law "Lei Maria da Penha," which specifically deals with attacks on women.

Sandro hasn't admitted guilt in either incident, though he did acknowledge making "a mistake" in an Instagram video translated by Cruz.

"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," he said. "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."

Sandro has fought for various MMA organizations, including Bellator, in his career. He last fought in August 2017 in a victory over Diego Arturo Huerto Jauregui at Shooto Brazil 74.