TKO tells staff events in Saudi Arabia will go ahead unless security forces a cancellation, Shapiro says

TKO President and COO Mark Shapiro told staff in a Wednesday town hall that the company still needs to stage several events in the Middle East to meet its business goals for 2026, but that TKO would cancel shows if there is a further escalation of regional conflict that creates danger for employees or talent.

Audio of the roughly one-hour Zoom meeting was obtained by POST Wrestling. Shapiro said shareholders and Wall Street analysts are watching whether TKO can finish the year without event cancellations and warned that losing Middle East dates would have a material negative impact on the company’s ability to deliver on financial expectations, even if it might not flip the company to a loss for 2026.

Shapiro praised staff working overseas and said the company is balancing business imperatives with personnel safety, adding that TKO would not hesitate to cancel events if conditions warranted. UFC executive Lawrence Epstein reiterated that the company will not put people in harm’s way.

The comments come amid attacks in Riyadh by Iran-backed Houthi forces based in Yemen and a U.S. State Department Level 3 travel advisory for Saudi Arabia; the U.S. also ordered non-emergency government employees and families to leave the country last week. Despite those concerns, WWE’s Crown Jewel remains scheduled for November 7 in Riyadh (the venue was recently moved and tickets refunded), UFC has a Fight Night card planned for December 5 in Riyadh, and TKO’s Zuffa Boxing has a November 14 event there.

Shapiro noted the commercial importance of the dates, saying each WWE event in the country generates roughly $55 million in revenue and that removing those shows would make it difficult to meet 2026 targets. The town hall also included business updates from WWE President Nick Khan and UFC executives: Khan cited ticket sales for the December Fury–Joshua card in Cardiff and other recent gate and merchandising figures, while UFC outlined progress on the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act in Congress.

Shapiro said the company may hold another town hall in early December depending on developments.