Photo Credit: Keith Mills/Sherdog.com

By Chris Huntemann, Columnist

Mixed martial arts is a funny thing. Some people who compete in it can become instant stars after one fight. All they need is one opportunity to show what they can do. For Maryland MMA fighter Ron “Choirboy” Stallings, that opportunity may come Sunday night at UFC’s Fight Night card in Boston.

Stallings, who trains with Team Lloyd Irvin in Camp Springs, Md., agreed to step in on a week’s notice to face Uriah Hall on Sunday night’s card. Hall is a veteran of season 18 of “The Ultimate Fighter” and is known for highlight reel knockouts, particularly this one.

Stallings carries a record of 12-6 into his fight with Hall with bouts in multiple regional organizations and on Strikeforce’s Challenger series under his belt. He is, however, coming off a unanimous decision loss for his fight on Sunday night. But, when the UFC comes calling with an opportunity, it doesn’t matter if you’ve won or lost your last fight. You take full advantage of it.

Multiple media outlets mentioned Stallings stepping in to face Hall, including MMA Fighting and FOX Sports. I reached out to Stallings personally to see if he could contribute a few thoughts on his first UFC appearance. If I get a response, I’ll post them to this blog.

UPDATE: Stallings shared some thoughts with me via Twitter Friday night through one of his teammates, who is handling his social media accounts.

“The experience has been great so far and the UFC has treated me very well,” Stallings said. Stallings’ coach, Master Lloyd Irvin, learned that Hall’s previous opponent dropped out and contacted Sucker Punch Entertainment, who facilitated Stallings stepping in to face Hall.

“This opportunity is really a dream come true for me, my team and my family. I really look forward to fighting on Sunday,” Stallings said.