Katty Hurtado, mother of Ecuadorian mixed martial arts fighter Michael Morales, talks to him on a video call in Pasaje, El Oro province, Ecuador on April 4, 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 Marcos PIN / AFP via Getty Images)