Daniel Alvarez opens the door when opportunity knocks.

So it should come as no surprise that he jumped at the offer to step in as a short-notice replacement to challenge Reggie Barnett Jr. for Barnett Jr.’s BKFC World Bantamweight Championship in the Main Event of BKFC 39 on Friday in Norfolk, VA, LIVE on The BKFC App.

“We got the call Thursday. The ultimate goal is to win the belt, so why wouldn’t I take the title fight? The money made sense – the compensation is great – and I believe I’m a perfect matchup for Reggie,” says Alvarez, who’s coming off a first-round stoppage over JR Ridge, the No. 1-ranked BKFC flyweight, in his Squared Circle debut.

Barnett Jr. has established himself as an icon of bare knuckle fighting since his debut at BKFC 1. On Friday, Barnett Jr., the No. 3-ranked fighter on the BKFC Pound-for-Pound rankings, will become the first fighter to test their skills 11 times in the BKFC Squared Circle. If he wins, he’ll improve to 9-2, which will tie him with Lorenzo Hunt (9-1) for most victories in BKFC history.

Alvarez is admittedly much earlier in his career, but the fast-rising, Mexican-American fighter is ready to rise to the occasion against his highly touted adversary. 

What’s the most likely outcome for this fight?

“I’m going to have my hand raised, and I’m going to do whatever it takes to have my hand raised,” he says. “The outcome is me winning, whatever form it may come in. But it’s going to be a dogfight because Reggie brings it, and so do I.”