A new report has uncovered some of the frustrations inside TKO Group Holdings amid the company’s recent stretch of events in the Middle East.
TKO-owned properties like WWE, UFC, and Zuffa Boxing all remain scheduled to visit the Middle East in the coming months for events, this despite the region currently being in conflict.
UFC is planning to visit Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on December 5 for a Fight Night card. This Saturday, Zuffa Boxing will be in the country for an event. And WWE, which was in the country just days ago for Crown Jewel, is expected to return next year for WrestleMania.
The push to host the events is sustained despite Saudi Arabia suffering numerous attacks from the Houthi militia in recent months – including an attack which left over 300 injured and 13 dead – has left many in the company frustrated.
A series of anonymous sources inside the company recently told Ben Fowlkes of Yahoo!’s Uncrowned about their frustration:
Why are you still even having these shows at this point? I think the answer is, if they chose not to do the show, they would lose out on millions and millions of dollars. If we don’t do the shows in Saudi Arabia or [United Arab Emirates] 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.
During TKO’s Q3 earnings call last week, company President Mark Shapiro said the risk of events getting cancelled in the region this year was “extremely minimal,” and said the operation was “all systems go.”
POST’s Brandon Thurston previously reported that Shapiro assured TKO employees during a town hall that the company “would not hesitate” to cancel events in the region if any conflict escalated.
Uncrowned reached out to TKO for comment before publishing their story but didn’t receive a response.
Uncrowned spoke with a source who expressed frustration that contingency plans haven’t been made public: “Not one email has gone out saying, ‘Here are the details and the plans for December 5th.’ That’s crazy. 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.”
A source told Uncrowned that many inside the company are discussing whether they could get out of having to work events in the region.
Everyone is talking about the Middle East shows. 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.
