Ronald Edward "Ron" Stallings, Jr. (born February 25, 1983) is an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

who competes in the

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...

division. A professional competitor since 2003, Stallings has also formerly competed for

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *'' Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *'' Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *''Marvel Strike Force'', ...

Titan FC Titan Fighting Championship (Titan FC) is an American mixed martial arts promotion based out of Pompano Beach, Florida. Their shows were originally run in and near Kansas City and have since expanded to include venues all over North America and e ...

, and the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

Background

Stallings was born and raised in

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...

and began training in

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

at the age of seven. Stallings attended Joppatowne High School and later

Morgan State University Morgan State University (Morgan State or MSU) is a public historically black research university in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the largest of Maryland's historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). In 1867, the university, then known ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Stallings began training in 2000 and made his professional MMA debut in July 2003. He competed primarily in regional promotions where he compiled a record of 12-6 with one no contest before signing with the UFC.

Strikeforce

With a record of 9-4 with one no contest, Stallings made his

debut on July 22, 2011 at Strikeforce Challengers: Voelker vs. Bowling III against

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. Stallings lost via split decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Stallings made his promotional debut as a short notice replacement against Uriah Hall on January 18, 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 59 ''UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Siver'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 59'') was a mixed martial arts event held on January 18, 2015, at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Background The event was headlined by a featherweight bout between ...

, replacing an injured

Louis Taylor Louis Taylor (born May 12, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the welterweight division of the Professional Fighters League. A professional competitor since 2007, Taylor has also formerly competed for Strikeforce a ...

. Hall won via TKO in the first round after knocking Stallings down with a punch and following up with several more on the ground. When Stallings returned to his feet, referee

Herb Dean Herbert Dean (born September 30, 1970) is an American professional mixed martial arts referee for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and former fighter. UFC president Dana White, UFC color commentator Joe Rogan, articles covering MMA in ESP ...

stopped the fight to check a cut that had opened up on Stallings' face, and the ringside doctor declared the cut too severe for Stallings to continue. Stallings faced Justin Jones on April 4, 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 63 ''UFC Fight Night: Mendes vs. Lamas'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 63'') was a mixed martial arts event held on April 4, 2015, at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia. Background The event was the third that the organization hosted at the ...

. Stallings won via unanimous decision. Stallings faced

Joe Riggs Joseph Jonathan Riggs (born September 23, 1982) is an American professional bare-knuckle boxer and former mixed martial artist who is currently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2001, Riggs formerly com ...

on September 5, 2015 at

UFC 191 ''UFC 191: Johnson vs. Dodson 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held on September 5, 2015, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background Initially, a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship bout between current champion Daniel Cormie ...

. Stallings lost the bout via disqualification after he landed an illegal upkick, which rendered Riggs unable to continue. Subsequently, Stallings was released from the promotion.

Titan Fighting Championship

Stallings made his promotional debut against Rashaun Spencer on August 5, 2016 at Titan FC 40. Stallings won via split decision.

Mixed martial arts record

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Nah-Shon Burrell Nah-Shon Burrell (born February 5, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor since 2010, Burrell has competed for Bellator MMA, the Ultimate Fighting Champio ...

, Decision (unanimous) , CES MMA 52 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Lincoln, Rhode Island Lincoln is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,529 at the 2020 census. Lincoln is located in northeastern Rhode Island, north of Providence. Lincoln is part of the Providence metropolitan statistical are ...

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Mike Massenzio Mike Vito Massenzio (born November 1, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist who has competed as a Middleweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He wrestled in New Jersey and was a two-time high school state champion in 2000 (160 lb ...

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–4 (1) , Joey Kirwan , Submission (triangle choke) , UWC 8: Judgment Day , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:52 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–4 (1) , Fred Weaver , TKO (punches) , Gameness Fighting Championship 6 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:12 ,

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Herbert Goodman Herbert Goodman (born August 31, 1977) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist and former NFL running back for the Green Bay Packers. A professional competitor from 2007 until 2011, Goodman competed for Bellator, M-1 Global and ...

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–3 (1) , Tony Sousa , TKO (punches) , UWC 4: Confrontation , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:02 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–3 (1) , Timothy Woods , KO (slam) , UWC 3: Invasion , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:25 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–2 (1) , Eric Lambert , Submission (guillotine choke) , CSC 24: The Proving Ground , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:41 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2 (1) , Bill Frazier , TKO (punches) , Combat Sport Challenge , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:58 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–2 (1) , Dante Rivera , Decision (unanimous) , Reality Fighting 11 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:00 ,

, United States , For the RF Middleweight Championship. , - , NC , align=center, 3–1 (1) , Ted Govola , No Contest , Mass Destruction 19 , , align=center, N/A , align=center, N/A , Boston, Massachusetts, United States , For the vacant MD Middleweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Randy Rowe , Submission (triangle choke) , Mass Destruction 16 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:32 , Boston, Massachusetts, United States , Return to

. , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Mike Varner , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Mass Destruction 14 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

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Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...

debut; won the vacant MD Heavyweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 1–1 , Rocco Giordano , Submission (armbar) , Reality Fighting 5 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:58 ,

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Phillipe Nover Phillipe J. Nover (born February 3, 1984), is a retired American mixed martial artist. He is best known for making it to the finals of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir. He is a former Ring of Combat lightweight champion. Early li ...

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