Employees and contractors who work UFC and WWE events in Saudi Arabia are voicing growing safety concerns, according to new reporting. Several workers spoke anonymously out of fear of retaliation, accusing TKO of prioritizing profits over their safety.
Employees and contractors who work UFC and WWE events in Saudi Arabia are raising growing concerns about their safety, according to new reporting from Ariel Helwani. The workers, who spoke anonymously because they fear retaliation, accuse TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of both promotions, of putting profits ahead of their well-being.
The allegations concern the people behind the scenes rather than the athletes. Production staff, crew and other contractors are part of the machinery that moves a major event from city to city. For events staged in Saudi Arabia, those workers are now questioning how their protection is weighed against the commercial value of the market.
The decision by several of those workers to speak without attaching their names is itself notable. By requesting anonymity, they signal that they believe speaking openly could cost them future work or damage their standing with the company. The report presents that fear of retaliation as a central reason the concerns have taken time to surface.
Saudi Arabia has become one of the most prominent destinations for TKO's combat sports and sports entertainment properties, and both UFC and WWE have staged marquee events in the country. That makes any allegation about working conditions there relevant to both brands at once, since the same corporate parent oversees each.
The report does not, in the details available, include a response from TKO, and the claims come from anonymous sources rather than named individuals. The specific nature of the safety concerns and any company reply have not been laid out in the information available so far.
Why it matters
- The allegations land on TKO as the shared owner of UFC and WWE, linking two separate businesses to one set of workplace questions.
- Saudi Arabia is a high-profile market for both promotions, so scrutiny of conditions there carries reputational weight.
- Workers' willingness to speak only anonymously highlights the power imbalance between a global entertainment company and the contractors it relies on.
How TKO addresses the claims, if it chooses to, will shape how far the story travels in the combat sports world and beyond.
