Is MMA's Most Powerful Puncher Fighting at Featherweight?

Nova Uniao is hailed as the home of MMA's most feared featherweight and pound-for-pound standout Jose Aldo, but it is also the home to a featherweight that is dominating competition on the other side of the globe.

Marlon Sandro is a name that if you don't already know, you must learn if you are a follower of the lighter weight classes. Together with Jose Aldo, they are quite literally conquering the featherweight world in the name of Nova Uniao.

Sandro has, what Jordan Breen of Sherdog terms as, "face melting power" in his hands.

The proof?

His last four wins have all come via Round 1 KO: in 19 seconds; 2 minutes 33 seconds; 9 seconds; and 38 seconds, respectively. And it's not just a guy getting clipped and falling down and Sandro pouncing with ground-and-pound for a quick stoppage KO.

These are clean, one hit, lights-out punches where the vicitim is wheeled out of the arena on a strecher.

His latest victim, Masanori Kanehara, was Sengoku's Featherweight Champion and considered a Top-15 Featherweight in the World.

Kanehara was not vertical when Sandro was getting the belt put around his waist; he was on a stretcher being wheeled into an ambulance after just 38 seconds of action.

The scariest thing about Sandro is that his striking is rudimentary at best. He is primarily a BJJ fighter that started his career by winning via submission or top control decision.

His striking has been improving, but the power he has shown appears to be more natural talent than acquired skill. As a result, as his career moves forward he can only get faster and more accurate with his brain-rattling strikes.

Sandro trains along Jose Aldo, and reports are that both fighters and Nova Uniao don't want both Sandro and Aldo in the WEC together because an eventually match-up between them would be unavoidable.

Sandro is 17-1 in his career with his only loss being the highly controversial "must decide" decision off a draw in 2009.

He could very well be the No. 2 featherweight in the world, but we simply have no idea.

Zuffa needs to find a way to get Sandro into the WEC fold at some point this year because Sandro is already an elite 145-pounder, and is only going to improve.