Much uncertainty surrounds the UFC’s future in Canada, but UFC Managing Director of Operations in in Canada, Australia and New Zealand Tom Wright assures fans the organization’s presence in the country will remain strong in 2015.

The UFC’s year in Canada has been shaky to say the least. In January, the organization announced five 2014 dates for the country: April 16 in Quebec City, June 14 in Vancouver, Sept. 27 in Toronto, Oct. 4 in Halifax, and Dec. 6 in Montreal.

Three of the five came to fruition, but the dates in Toronto and Montreal, which have hosted 10 combined UFC events in past years, were shifted to Las Vegas.

Although two of the country’s biggest markets lost events this year, Wright said the schedule change shouldn’t be viewed as a red flag.

“There’s no concern whatsoever,” Wright told MMAjunkie. “In 2011, 2012 and 2013, we knew what our broadcast plans were, we announced them, and they didn’t change. In 2014, it did. Sometimes those things happen. That’s one of the reasons why there’s a benefit in being part of an organization that can make adjustments on the fly. Sometimes we have to do that.”

Beyond scaling back the number of events, the UFC’s television deal with Rogers Sportsnet, home of UFC programming in Canada for the past several years, is set to expire at the end of December.

Sportsnet became Canada’s exclusive home for UFC content in 2011 when the two sides inked a four-year rights agreement. That deal ends in less than three months, and with the station recently signing a 12-year, $5.2 billion agreement with the NHL for the organization’s broadcast and multimedia rights, the budget and availability for UFC programming has dramatically shrunk.

Wright wouldn’t comment on whether the UFC will remain in business with Sportsnet, but he did assure fans the octagon will have a home on Canadian TV in 2015.

“I would tell (fans who are concerned) they’re going to be watching it on TV,” Wright said. “We’re in the process (of negotiating), and we’ll have something to announce in about four to six weeks.

“We at the UFC Canada team have a lot of pride in showing this sport to people around the country, and we’re very proud with what we’re going to do in Canada.”

The UFC held its 17th event in Canada earlier this month when UFC Fight Night 54 took place in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Oct. 4 event drew a sellout crowd of 10,782 for a live gate of $926,000 at Halifax Metro Center.

UFC Fight Night 54 was the organization’s first venture into Atlantic Canada. It also marked the second time this year the octagon has touched down in a new Canadian market, with Quebec City being the other.

From Wright’s perspective, expansion into new regions across the country is a sign of growth, and he expects it to continue next year. He’s not prepared to announce the schedule for 2015 just yet, but he said there are plans to hold “four of five” events across the country in the upcoming year.

“We’re in the process of finalizing our 2015 schedule,” Wright said. “It’s not the easiest thing to do when you’re trying to sort out all the different countries and all the different requirements we have between pay-per-view, FOX, (FOX Sports 1) and UFC Fight Pass.

“It’s a work in progress, but we have a pretty good sense as to where it’s going to be. We need to finalize it and we’ll announce it.”

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Tom Wright)