Saudis will not divest in TKO partnerships amid LIV Golf pullout
· Yahoo Sports
Saudi Arabia will continue honoring its financial commitments to TKO Group, owner of the UFC and WWE, despite a reallocation of resources resulting in the entity pulling funding from LIV Golf following the 2026 season.
TKO Group president Mark Shapiro assured investors of Saudi Arabia’s commitment during the company’s quarterly earnings call on Wednesday. “Our partners in Saudi Arabia have confirmed that [a LIV Golf-like divestment] will not be the case with TKO. Their commitment to our properties in 2026 and beyond is unwavering,” Shapiro said, per Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal.
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.@TKOGrp‘s Mark Shapiro: “Our partners in Saudi Arabia have confirmed that [a LIV Golf-like divestment] will not be the case with TKO. Their commitment to our properties in 2026 and beyond is unwavering.”
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) May 6, 2026
Shapiro told investors TKO is “firmly moving ahead with scheduled events in Saudi Arabia and the region,” according to reporting from the Wrestling Observer. As it stands, TKO has six events planned in Saudi Arabia between WWE, UFC, and Zuffa Boxing.
On the TKO Q1 financial call, Mark Shapiro just confirmed Saudi Arabia’s PIF will not withdraw their financial commitment to TKO as they did with LIV Golf and that TKO is “firmly moving ahead with scheduled events in Saudi Arabia and the region” for both WWE and UFC, “even and… pic.twitter.com/F5drIe764F
— Wrestling Observer (@WONF4W) May 6, 2026
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has made a concerted push into sports investments, but that might be taking a turn. The country’s Public Investment Fund is pulling funding for the LIV Golf league following this season, presumably because the investment has lost billions for the sovereign wealth fund since its formation in 2022. Conversely, Saudi Arabia’s partnerships with TKO have presumably been more fruitful. WWE hosts Premium Live Events in the country annually as part of an agreement that began in 2018 and extends through 2027, and Zuffa Boxing is a partnership between TKO and the Saudi General Entertainment Authority that figures to reshape the sport.
Still, it was never a certainty that Saudi Arabia would remain committed to its other sports ventures once the LIV news broke, especially when considering current events in the region. But for now, it appears the Saudi’s pullout is isolated to LIV and won’t impact its other sports investments.
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