Sometimes doing nothing at all is the best course of action.The success of “The Ultimate Fighter” has long been seen as the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s gateway to the mainstream. In addition to cultivating a new generation of fighters and fans, the series inspired production companies around the world to create their own adaptations of the mixed martial arts reality television format. Eleven years after the first season of TUF first aired, a similar concept emerged in Quito, Ecuador, with the launch of a new MMA reality series titled “Ultima Pelea.”
“Ultima Pelea” aired for four seasons on the Ecuadorian television network CNT Sports. The program featured young, emerging Ecuadorian mixed martial artists participating in exhibition fights contested in two five-minute rounds. Among the participants in the second and fourth seasons was Michael Morales, who would later find fame as one of the highest-ranked UFC welterweight title contenders. At the time the second season was filmed, Morales was only 17 years old and had no previous professional MMA experience.During that season, Morales competed twice. His first fight came against Christian Arroyo, who also made his mixed martial arts debut, in the second episode. Morales later faced Ricardo Centeno in the 10th episode; Centeno had already made his professional debut and entered the match with a 1–5 record.
All fights leading up to the season finale were filmed in local gyms with limited attendance, consisting primarily of fellow competitors and a production crew that reflected the intimate setting of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’. In his first appearance, Morales secured a takedown and secured a victory over Arroyo via mount strikes in the second round. In his second fight, Morales was caught by the more experienced Centeno in a deep triangle choke in the first round. Images from these recordings have been publicly available at YouTube since 2018.However, due to the exhibition nature of the fights, they were never recorded by major MMA recording platforms. In 2022, as Morales rose the UFC welterweight rankings, Sherdog contacted the show’s producers, Nacho Lorduguin and Eduardo Filippini, to verify the status of the fights. Since the matches were always classified as exhibitions and we had not received full tournament results at the time, they were omitted by Sherdog Fight Finder.
This was announced by martial arts database Tapology on Tuesday social media that it had identified the “Ultima Pelea” fights and chosen to classify them as professional bouts. This decision changed Morales’ record from 19–0 to 20–1, a change that immediately attracted much attention and controversy throughout the MMA community. Following Tapology’s decision, Morales was the first to react, issuing a short but fiery response Instagram
post with the caption: “I’m going to punch injustice in the face” as he curses the record holder.
In response to the backlash, Sherdog contacted the producers of ‘Ultima Pelea’, who issued the following statement:
“Tapology professionally recorded two of the exhibition fights Michael Morales participated in on ‘Ultima Pelea: El Reality.’ These attacks were recorded without consultation or verification with us, the show’s producers. ‘Ultima Pelea’ was a TUF-style reality show produced in Ecuador from 2016 to 2019. More than 50 Ecuadorian fighters, representing some of the best of their generation, participated. All fights on the show were strictly exhibition matches contested over two five-minute rounds. This was established and agreed from day one and was never disputed.
“We at ‘Ultima Pelea’ have never officially recorded wins or losses for Michael Morales, nor for any other competitor. If Tapology were to classify these exhibition fights as professional, an entire generation of Ecuadorian mixed martial artists would see their records drastically changed. Randomly selecting a single season involving a highly regarded fighter like Michael Morales and inaccurately documenting it is potentially detrimental to his career. When individuals achieve great success, it often causes jealousy and attempts to create obstacles in their path. This appears to be the case here.”
After widespread criticism from fans and industry observers, Tapology followed suit reversed his decision a day later. The platform acknowledged that its more recent approach to categorizing reality shows as professional did not reflect its position at the time the “Ultima Pelea” fights took place. Morales’ record was restored to 19–0, with “Ultima Pelea’s” attacks correctly classified as exhibitions.
It remains crucial to reaffirm why the matches were initially considered exhibitions. While Sherdog Fight Finder listed reasons for this classification in our 2023 piece titled ‘Taste of India’, which featured an undefeated prospect and his seemingly manipulated record, we will restate them. It’s not about the number of rounds, as many international organizations regularly organize 2×5 competitions. It has nothing to do with the lack of elbow bumps on ‘Ultima Pelea’ as promotions occasionally add this provision but are still considered professional.
Rather, it’s the postponed nature of the fights, with the organization conducting its reality show battles without outside regulators witnessing the proceedings. That competition then hides the results until the air date — the YouTube release date of the “Ultima Pelea” episodes is not the same as when they were recorded — which violates the rules Sherdog Fight Finder adopted more than two decades ago for all tape-delayed events. FYI: Although the 15th season of TUF held live matches, the Nevada State Athletic Commission considered them to have the same status as any other TUF fight. We apply the same standard to all pre-recorded shows, whether it’s TUF, M-1 Reality, ALF Reality, Qadya MO Show, Hype Reality, African Knockout and more.
Mixed martial arts remains a developing sport in much of South America. Many countries in the region lack formal athletics commissions or consistent regulatory oversight, resulting in inconsistencies in record keeping. Most fighters have competed professionally for years without ever interacting with entities like Sherdog Fight Finder. Despite these challenges, Sherdog remains committed to maintaining the most accurate and reliable MMA database and continues his efforts to document the sport with dedication and integrity.
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