Inside TKO's Saudi Arabia crisis: UFC, WWE workers speak out as safety fears escalate — 'Everyone just can't believe this'

The parent company of the WWE and UFC continues to plow forward with events in Saudi Arabia despite the ongoing military conflict there, but not all those within the company are happy about it.

Sources tell Uncrowned that many people employed by TKO Group Holdings, Inc. are increasingly frustrated at the company's insistence on going through with events in Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia, even as the country continues to suffer ongoing missile and drone attacks by the Houthi militia in Yemen.

One such attack took place in Riyadh's financial district just hours after WWE's Crown Jewel event concluded nearby on Saturday. While all WWE wrestlers were said to have left the country by the time a missile struck a tower owned by the state-run Aramco oil company on Sunday , some TKO workers said they felt that their safety has been little more than an afterthought as these events have gone on.

"Why are you still even having these shows at this point?" said one source within the company who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to fear of reprisal. "I think the answer is, if they chose not to do the show, they would lose out on millions and millions of dollars.

"From what I've heard, if we don't do the shows in Saudi Arabia or [United Arab Emirate] or Doha or wherever we are going, then our fourth quarter earnings will be off and our shareholders aren't going to get their money," the source continued. "So it's all about greed. They don't care about anybody's well-being. The level of greed with this company is so gross."

Uncrowned reached out to TKO representatives for comment regarding the safety concerns expressed by employees in this story and the company's decision to proceed with events in Saudi Arabia. TKO had not responded at the time of publication.

Multiple events under the TKO banner have been slated for Saudi Arabia this fall, despite the intensifying conflict on both sides of Saudi Arabia's border with Yemen. After attacks ramped up throughout the month of October — including a cruise missile strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Oct. 10, which killed 13 people and wounded over 300 more — the U.S. State Department ordered all diplomats and non-emergency government personnel to leave Saudi Arabia , citing security concerns.

Other sports events set to take place in the country, including the Six Kings Slam tennis tournament and the PIF Saudi International golf tournament, have been postponed in light of the attacks.

Fight sports, however, have continued ahead as planned. One prominent recent example was boxer Saul "Canelo" Alvarez's title bout with Christian Mbili on Oct. 31 . That fight took place in Riyadh despite a "hostile aerial threat" warning issued by the Saudi Arabian government just two days prior to the event. The bout was promoted in part by Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority. Alalshikh is also a co-founder of Zuffa Boxing, another brand under the TKO banner. Zuffa Boxing has an event planned for Riyadh this Saturday, Nov. 14.

"All [TKO executives] talk about is if the State Department says it is OK to fly there," a source inside the company told Uncrowned. "The rest of us are like, 'If the State Department has to think about it at all, let's just postpone.' That's what all the other sports are doing. Why can't TKO?"

In the weeks leading up to WWE's Crown Jewel event, TKO CEO Ari Emanuel told FOX News that the company was monitoring the situation closely , but felt it was safe to proceed.

"Right now, everything is still set [for WWE Crown Jewel]," Emanuel said on Oct. 23. "This weekend coming up in Abu Dhabi, we have a UFC fight. We have, in the middle of November, a Frieze art show. So, so far, so good — nothing's been cancelled.

"We have a whole team kind of working on this, and kind of when — and if that doesn't happen, where we can move it. It's a daily monitoring."

But ahead of a UFC Fight Night event planned for Riyadh on Dec. 5, some TKO employees say they're increasingly upset by what they see as a disregard for worker safety and a lack of communication about potential contingency plans.

"Not one email has gone out saying, 'Here are the details and the plans for December 5th.' That's crazy," said one source. "They don't tell you anything. They just throw it at you. How about a backup plan? How about a safety letter? 'Hey, if x happens, we go do y. We'll all meet here. We'll do this. We'll do that.' Nothing."

Saturday's WWE event in Saudi Arabia coincided with a Power Slap event in Riyadh on Nov. 6, which some members of the TKO production crew were also expected to work, according to sources. Crews who travel in for WWE or UFC events are routinely asked to work other events for properties like Power Slap or Zuffa Boxing, one source said, with little consideration for the long hours and extra labor involved.

Now, with added concerns amid the ongoing military conflict, some within the company say executive leadership isn't taking their safety seriously enough.

"They don't f***ing care about you one bit," one source said. "People are just getting tired of the way they're getting treated. They get treated like s*** and everybody's tired of it. The lack of communication, the greed, the lack of appreciation, people are just sick of it."

The events in Saudi Arabia, and the risks inherent in traveling to and working from what is essentially an active conflict zone, have pushed some workers to their breaking point, sources say. One longtime TKO employee said the mood among staff darkened after the company refused to move or postpone events even after the airport attacks in the country.

"I'm not the only one who does not want to fly there," one source said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "It's crazy."

The UFC has moved events under duress in the past, even on extremely short notice. In 2018, following a drug-testing issue involving former champion Jon Jones, the UFC moved an entire event from Las Vegas to California on a few days' notice the week of Christmas.

But when it comes to this series of events scheduled for Saudi Arabia, where site fees have been particularly lucrative for TKO, company leadership has been adamant about proceeding.

In a recent company town hall meeting , TKO President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro assured employees that the company would "not hesitate" to cancel or postpone events in the region in the face of "danger or a further escalation" in the military conflict. But Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia are now a "near-daily" occurrence in Saudi Arabia, according to The New York Times , and some workers under the TKO banner say the communication from top executives has been lacking.

In his company town hall remarks, Shapiro acknowledged that canceling the events in the region would impact business in "a very negative way," but said that "business is secondary" to employee safety. However, he added that TKO is currently on track for an excellent year financially, which is reflected in a third-quarter earnings report that included an increased targeted revenue of $5.83 billion for the year.

"We want to have the year we all envisioned," Shapiro said in the company town hall. "We've all worked so hard for that year. [20]26 is shaping up to be that year."

As of now, the company has not announced plans to move or postpone any events in Saudi Arabia. With a Zuffa Boxing event on Nov. 14 and a UFC Fight Night event on Dec. 5 looming, and attacks on Riyadh seemingly only ramping up, one source said that there are those in the company considering sitting this one out.

"Everyone is talking about the Middle East shows," the source said on the condition of anonymity. "Who has to go, who can get out of going. Some people say they are waiting until the time to fly comes and telling [executives] that they won't go. But I don't know how many will follow through with that. This is a company that can fire you for no reason or any reason. Everyone just can't believe this is a choice that they are being forced to make — fly into a war zone or risk getting fired before Christmas."

Other workers say they are frustrated, yet more or less resigned to the current state of affairs. Former and current employees described a company culture at TKO that is myopically focused on maximizing short-term profitability, with little regard for the workers who keep the machine running.

"We've come to the realization, this is what it is," one source said. "We're going to either have to accept it or leave, because nothing's going to change at this point. But it's time to get called out. People think it's fine and you get taken care of. People realize the fighters get paid s***. I mean, that's obvious. You guys have covered that aspect of it. People know, and the fighters are starting to speak up for themselves, but it doesn't stop with them. That's the message I want to get across. Everyone across the whole company gets treated like s***, whether you're a fighter or a camera guy."