Getty Ecuadorian professional mixed martial arts fighter Michael Morales poses for a portrait at the Entram Gym training centre in Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico, on February 5, 2026. In a tropical town in Ecuador, children no longer dream only of becoming football players to escape poverty. They also want to be UFC fighters like Michael “Spiderman” Morales, a beast in the octagon who has become a local idol. The 26-year-old fighter has been immortalized in murals and is now the hero of the children on the streets of Pasaje, a town ravaged by violence. (Photo by Guillermo Arias
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