FightCo is proud to be supplying the XFO with custom gloves for this weekend’s show, XFO 39.

The 12 bout card features some top names, including Chicagoan Jeff Big Frog Curran, who will bring in Pride, UFC, KOTC, WEC, Strikeforce and Bellator experience into the main event against Billy Vaughn of Columbus OH. Co-main eventing is former WEC Lightweight champion Jamie Varner, who recently signed to fight Shinya Aoki in Japan. Varner will try to put an 0-4 2010 behind him against Tyler Combs. And Team Curran’s Felice Lil’ Bulldog Herrig, who’s become a poster girl of the upcoming Supremacy MMA video game, will hook it up with Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc.

XFO 39 goes down on Friday the 13th at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates IL.

FightCo fighters Dave Daniecki and Dan Root both won their fights at last weekend’s Shogun Fights IV in Baltimore. Both fighters swarmed their respective opponents and finished their fights before the final bell.

In the first of the two fights, Root ran a clinic on Rich Langley, snatching a RNC victory in the first round. Later in the night, Daniecki pieced up Adrian Belcarris for ten minutes winning via TKO when Belcarris was unable to answer the bell for round 3.

Root and Daniecki are both managed by Be the Weapon Fighter Management and train under the guidance of John Rallo at Ground Control Academy in Baltimore.

FightCo is proud to announce the addition of Dave Daniecki (2-1) to our sponsored fighter team. Daniecki fights out of Ground Control with fellow FightCo sponsored fighter Dan Root. Both are trained at the Renzo Gracie affiliated Baltimore gym under the guidance of John Rallo.

Root and Daniecki are both now scheduled to fight on April 30th at the 1st Mariner Center at Baltimore’s premier mixed martial arts event, Shogun Fights 4.

Dan Root is set to face Rich Langley, a 1-0 striker out of Baltimore Boxing Club. With a win, Root will improve to 3-2 and kick-start a 2 fight win streak.

Dave Daniecki, building off a win over Edler Ramos, is looking to piece together his own win streak when he steps into the cage against a dangerously underrated Adrian Belcarris.

Both Root and Daniecki will step into Shogun’s circular cage representing Baltimore and FightCo wearing their FightCo Wings shorts, available here for $49.95.

Shogun Fights is Maryland’s largest MMA show and previous events have been broadcast on demand by Comcast.

FightCo is proud to announce a new partnership with current Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez.

FightCo will be supporting Eddie this weekend as he defends his title against Pat Curran in Connecticut live on MTV2. And you can now get FightCo products at Eddie’s shop, The Red Corner in the Fishtown section of Philadelphia.

Visit www.fightco.com and check out Eddie’s new website, launching this week, at www.alvarezmma.com.

FightCo is proud to announce that we will be providing gloves for Cage Fury Fighting Championships’s first event in three years. The show, aptly called The Return comes to Resorts Casino and Hotel in Atlantic City on February 5th. CFFC is most remembered for being the scene of Kimbo Slice’s lone submission victory in the promotion’s last show in the summer of 2007. But before the company shuttered, they were the area’s four lane highway to major league MMA. That Slice/Mercer show, for example, featured talent like Lyman Good (former Bellator welterweight champion), UFC veterans Jim Miller, John Howard, Nick Catone, Ultimate Fighter veterans Noah Inhofer and Dante Rivera, and WEC veterans Anthony Morrison and Deividas Taurosevicus.

CFFC’s The Return features local fighters, including welterweight prospects Nah-Shon Burrell and Dave Church along with the return of Andrew Riddles. Riddles will be stepping into the cage for the first time in 18 months when he tangles with former Ring of Combat middleweight champion Victor O’Donnell in the main event.

Tickets for CFFC’s The Return are available on their website, www.cffc.tv.

It was a night fight fans won’t soon forget, as Philadelphia’s MMA community was introduced to a future star and treated to a fight of the year, and FightCo was on hand to witness the entire thing.

On the amateur undercard, Albert Alvarez, brother of Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez, looked like a seasoned pro in his mixed martial arts debut against Pedro Torres.  Alvarez, who was a record setting Catholic League wrestler, looked like a Golden Gloves champion.  He impressed everyone with his composure, and high level boxing ability.  When we asked promoter Fran Evans where the young Alvarez learned how to box, Evans said, “He got beat up by his older brother his whole life.”  Coming into the cage for the first time with the Alvarez Booster Club put a lot of pressure on the kid, who stepped up and performed profeciently.  Pedro Torres, who was no soft serve opponent, stayed in there and traded with Albert for three rounds.  But when the judges’ scores were tallied, Alvarez was victorious with a 30-27 x3 unanimous decision.

On the main card, journeyman John Doyle and Semper Fi MMA’s Will Martinez Jr both dispatched their opponents with first round TKO’s, and Delaware’s “Bazooka” Joe Stripling finished Eric Purcell with a textbook triangle choke in the second round.  World Champion Muay Thai fighter Rami “The Arabian Nightmare” Ibrahim erased all doubts about his ground game on Friday night.  After a loss to Lennox Chance over the summer, Ibrahim dedicated six months to learning ground fighting skills.  Then, confident in his new abilities, came to the cage wearing his gi and vale tudo trunks.  Backing up that statement with high level jiu-jitsu skills catching Tom Desmond - who took the fight on short notice - in two armbars before finishing him with a ground and pound submission due to strikes in the second round.

But it was all about the main event.  Defending Locked in the Cage Middleweight Champion Tim Williams against Duane Bastress for the LITC title and the new AMMAC Mid-Atlantic Middleweight Championship.  After weeks of hype it came down to two men in the cage, and neither man disappointed.  The fight, scheduled for five rounds, lasted three.  In a battle most agree Bastress was winning, it ended with a Williams victory when the doctor stopped the contest at the conclusion of the third round.  Bastress’ left eye was swollen shut.  And despite the doctor stoppage - a result no fighter or fan likes - the fight was outstanding, more than compensating for any let down the finish gave.  A rematch should soon be in the making.

(photo by Joe Fultano for Mid-Atlantic MMA.)

Locked in the Cage comes to the National Guard Armory in Northeast Philadelphia tonight with a highly anticipated fight card. Tonight’s show features the mixed martial arts debut of Albert Alvarez - who’s brother is Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez. Albert takes on another debutant in Pedro Torres. The Patishnock Brothers, Richard and Joseph, both look to extend their winning streaks, and Romanian Marius Enache looks to win in his new adopted home of Philadelphia.

On the main card, “Bazooka Joe” Stripling hopes to continue his assault on the middleweight ranks when he hooks up with Ricardo Almeida pupil, Erik Purcell. World champion Muay Thai practitioner Rami Ibrahim looks to erase a disastrous MMA debut to find his first win against Thomas Desmond. Desmond, by the way, took the fight on short notice and is also looking for his first victory as a professional cage fighter. But its all build up to the highly anticipated main event. Tim Williams’ Locked in the Cage Middleweight Championship a

FightCo is proud to be the official equipment provider for this evening’s event. All amateur fighters will be wearing FightCo’s training gloves and shinguards, and all the pros will be using our competition gloves.

Locked in the Cage 6 goes down at the National Guard Armory in Northeast Philadelphia. 2700 Southampton Rd. For more information, visit http://www.lockedinthecage.com.

Check back on Monday for results.