Multiple TKO employees, the parent company of UFC and WWE, have anonymously spoken out over their issues with the continued Saudi Arabia plans.
Despite there being extreme unrest in the Middle East, both fighting promotions have continued as normal. UFC held show 795 in Abu Dhabi in late October, while WWE hosted the Crown Jewel show in Saudi Arabia on November 7.
With air strikes on Riyadh airport resulting in over a dozen lives being lost, many questions remained about whether Crown Jewel would, and should, still go ahead. Although there were reports about a backup location in the United States and executives saying that they were monitoring the situation closely, a limited roster and production crew flew out to the country to host the event. Commentary remained in the US and called the action remotely.
Following the show, multiple sources have spoken about their experiences to Uncrowned. The unnamed sources have cited greed and safety concerns among other issues with the ongoing partnership. One source called out the company’s greed and how it is a higher priority over well-being:
“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.
“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,” 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.”
The Middle East conflict has affected multiple sports. The Six Kings Slam tennis tournament has been postponed, and the Saudi Arabian F1 Grand Prix was cancelled. Another frustrated source told Uncrowned about the decision for TKO not to follow this format:
“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?”
Another UFC event is scheduled for Riyadh in early December. One employee told Uncrowned that they have not been given instructions regarding plans for the day, how they will be kept safe, or a potential backup plan:
“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.”
This was not the only source to call out the lack of communication:
“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.”
“This Is What It Is”: TKO Employee On Continued Saudi Arabia Shows
Another source told Uncrowned that many have accepted this is how things will be in both companies moving forward. In a rather bleak summary of the state of things, the source admitted that the choice is either to continue to fly into dangerous locations or look for a new job:
“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.”
Featured image: TKO
