Luke Barnatt meets Clint Hester at UFC Fight Night 63 in Fairfax

It’ll be an Ultimate Fighter 17 reunion in Virginia.

Luke Barnatt will take on Clint Hester at UFC Fight Night: Mendes vs. Lamas on April 4 in Fairfax, Va., Barnett announced Friday during the UFC on FOX 14 fan Q&A in Stockholm, Sweden. Barnatt referred to Hester as “an old friend.”

“I think we’ve been destined to fight for a very long time,” Barnatt said. “It’s been two years in the making.”

Barnatt was the first pick of Chael Sonnen’s team on TUF 17 and Hester was Jon Jones‘ first pick.

Barnatt (8-2) has dropped two in a row after winning his first three UFC bouts. He’s coming off a split decision loss to Roger Narvaez in November. The 6-foot-6 Barnatt, 26, hails from Southampton, England.

Hester (11-4) was knocked out by Robert Whittaker in November after running off seven straight wins, including four in a row in the UFC. Hester, 28, and Whittaker each won a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus on that Australia card. The Georgia native is a dangerous knockout artist.

UFC Fight Night in Fairfax will be headlined by a featherweight contender bout between Chad Mendes and Ricardo Lamas. The co-headliner is slated to be an important lightweight bout between Benson Henderson and Jorge Masvidal. The event will be held at The Patriot Center on the campus of George Mason University. It’ll be the UFC’s first trip to Fairfax since May 2012.

It’ll be an Ultimate Fighter 17 reunion in Virginia.

Luke Barnatt will take on Clint Hester at UFC Fight Night: Mendes vs. Lamas on April 4 in Fairfax, Va., Barnett announced Friday during the UFC on FOX 14 fan Q&A in Stockholm, Sweden. Barnatt referred to Hester as “an old friend.”

“I think we’ve been destined to fight for a very long time,” Barnatt said. “It’s been two years in the making.”

Barnatt was the first pick of Chael Sonnen’s team on TUF 17 and Hester was Jon Jones‘ first pick.

Barnatt (8-2) has dropped two in a row after winning his first three UFC bouts. He’s coming off a split decision loss to Roger Narvaez in November. The 6-foot-6 Barnatt, 26, hails from Southampton, England.

Hester (11-4) was knocked out by Robert Whittaker in November after running off seven straight wins, including four in a row in the UFC. Hester, 28, and Whittaker each won a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus on that Australia card. The Georgia native is a dangerous knockout artist.

UFC Fight Night in Fairfax will be headlined by a featherweight contender bout between Chad Mendes and Ricardo Lamas. The co-headliner is slated to be an important lightweight bout between Benson Henderson and Jorge Masvidal. The event will be held at The Patriot Center on the campus of George Mason University. It’ll be the UFC’s first trip to Fairfax since May 2012.