Reggie Barnett Jr. has long dreamt of seeing the BKFC Squared Circle in his home state of Virginia.

This week that dream becomes a reality for the Chesapeake, VA product.

On Friday in Norfolk at the packed Scope Arena, Barnett Jr. (8-2, 2 KOs) defends his BKFC World Bantamweight Championship against Daniel Alvarez (1-0, 1 KO) in the first ever BKFC event in the state of Virginia, LIVE on The BKFC App. 

“This is a dream come true – being able to compete at the highest level of my sport in front of my fans, friends, family and all the people in my community,” Barnett Jr. says. 

“People have seen the work that I’ve been putting in for the last four or five years, but most people have only seen it from afar. I can’t wait for them to have this opportunity to see it up close and personal.” 

Barnett Jr. is No. 3 on the BKFC Pound-for-Pound rankings. On Friday night, he’ll become the first fighter in BKFC history to compete 11 times in the Squared Circle. Standing across from Barnett Jr. is the decidedly less-seasoned Alvarez. Alvarez is coming off a jaw-dropping, first-round finish over JR Ridge, the No. 1-ranked BKFC flyweight, in his Squared Circle debut. He’s eager to ignite his young career with rocket fuel in the form of a victory over a fighting icon like Barnett Jr.

“I see a hungry fighter, like me when I was starting out. He’s hungry to jump out the gate and prove that he belongs at the top. He comes to fight,” Barnett Jr. says of Alvarez.

“He wants to fight, but there are levels and learning curves to this sport. We’re going to see how fast he can learn, or if he’s going to get educated like everybody else.”