Over the years, the UFC and WWE, under the TKO umbrella, have found a major fanbase in the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia. The growing popularity has led the promotions to make the trip to the Middle Eastern country multiple times a year with grand spectacles headlined by marquee stars. But the workers–who make the events possible for TKO—aren’t feeling safe anymore, either making those trips or working there.

According to a report by Uncrowned, multiple TKO employees, on the condition of anonymity, raised safety concerns for themselves and others amid Saudi Arabia’s ongoing conflict with the Houthi militia in Yemen. According to them, safety concerns became an issue after a recent scare at WWE’s latest event in Saudi Arabia. On Saturday, November 7, 2026, the pro-wrestling promotion concluded one of its premier shows, WWE Crown Jewel, at the ANB Arena in Riyadh. Just hours after the show ended, an attack took place at Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District, while the workers were still at the site. 

Uncrowned’s report mentioned that the promotion ordered the wrestlers to leave the country immediately to avoid any complications that could result from the conflict. However, the same courtesy wasn’t extended to the employees working there. As a result, workers are now reluctant to travel to the country to staff upcoming shows.

“Why are you still even having these shows at this point?” an anonymous worker told Uncrowned. “I think the answer is… if they chose not to do the show, they would lose out on millions of dollars. From what I’ve heard… if we don’t do the shows in Saudi Arabia or UAE 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.

“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.”  

Going by the anonymous sources’ words, the workers seemed frustrated about the company continuing to schedule work in Saudi Arabia despite the country’s ongoing conflict with Yemen’s Houthi movement.

Though it remains unclear whether TKO has any workers already stationed in the Middle Eastern country, there are a couple of events lined up for the remainder of this year, and the workers simply aren’t eager to go there.   

Uncrowned apparently tried to reach out to TKO for clarification, but it has yet to receive a response. But going by the conditions in Saudi Arabia, it’s understandable why the workers have been hesitant to work there.

According to reports, a missile attack on October 10 on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh reportedly killed 13 and wounded over 300 people. Looking at the situation, other sporting events such as the Six Kings Slam tennis tournament and the PIF International Golf event have reportedly been postponed.

Fight events, on the other hand, have continued taking place. 

A marquee fight between Canelo Alvarez and Christian Mbilli took place on October 31 in Saudi Arabia, despite the country’s government issuing a “hostile aerial threat” warning. In fact, the UFC also has Israel Adesanya’s comeback fight against Shara Magomedov scheduled for the UFC Saudi Arabia fight night on December 5.

The workers of TKO are seemingly unhappy about not receiving any emails or updates about the UFC’s upcoming event in Saudi Arabia.

“Not one email has gone out saying, ‘Here are the details and the plans for December 5th.’ That’s crazy,” another anonymous source told Uncrowned. “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.”  

Amid the workers’ growing frustration over safety concerns about working in Saudi Arabia, TKO Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro has addressed the matter. 

Mark Shapiro clarifies WWE and UFC’s position on events in Saudi Arabia 

In October 28, 2026, TKO’s COO, Mark Shapiro, finally weighed in on the conditions surrounding work in Saudi Arabia. During a company town hall meeting, the business mogul offered words of reassurance, saying that if the situation goes south, the company won’t “hesitate” to cancel its events.

“We will not hesitate to cancel those events, damned be our budget,” Shapiro said. 

For the UFC and WWE, Saudi Arabia has become one of their biggest markets, where they reap lucrative profits by holding events. The country pays substantial site fees, reportedly up to $20 million in 2024, for the UFC to hold an event there. That’s why the promotions keep scheduling events there.

Mark Shapiro acknowledged that business matters for the company. However, the most important consideration is humanity.

“Of course, business is important, but humanity is most important,” Shapiro added. “So, this is more about keeping people safe and comfortable. The business is secondary.

“So, you know, I don’t want to talk out of both sides of my mouth here…. We want to have the year we all envisioned. We’ve all worked so hard for that year. The year (20)26 is shaping up to be that year.”

Despite Mark Shapiro’s reassuring words, Uncrowned said the workers still haven’t received proper communication from the top brass. Uncrowned also cited a New York Times report describing attacks in Saudi Arabia as “near-daily” occurrences.

This is not the first time workers have opened up about safety issues. According to a Wrestling Inc. report, a man named John reportedly accused WWE of making employees work without safety protocols in July 2020, before the wrestling promotion merged with UFC under TKO. However, WWE later refuted those claims, firmly affirming that this was not the case.

Now, with the latest concerns surfacing, it will be interesting to see how the promotion deals with the problem.