Tom Wright says Canada could see more UFC events and ‘TUF’ seasons

Now that Canada has its first champions of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series, the floodgates could open for many more prospects north of the U.S. border to win UFC contracts.

“The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia” came to a conclusion earlier this week when Elias Theodorou (9-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and Chad Laprise (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) were crowned middleweight and welterweight champions of the first-ever “TUF” season consisting of a Canadian team.

Both men are undefeated and show promise early in their careers. Now, with Canada’s clean sweep of Team Australia in the head-to-head competition, another season featuring all-Canadian talent could be on the way – perhaps against a different country.

“We could do an all-Canadian season,” UFC Managing Director of Operations for Canada Tom Wright told MMAjunkie. “You’d be surprised at some of the things we’ve been talking about.

“I, for one, will be pushing for us to have another version of ‘The Ultimate Fighter Nations,’ as we’ve called it. If it ends up being Canada vs. Brazil or the U.K. or even Canada vs. the United States, I think it’s a great opportunity for this next generation of fighters to show their skills and their abilities. May the best fighters win.”

The UFC’s growth in Canada has been a gradual one. From the first event in Montreal back in 2008 to the five events across four provinces already confirmed for 2014, there’s no denying that, even in the absence of former UFC champion Georges St-Pierre, the sport is still expanding in the fight-centric country.

“For the last four years we’ve held three events here every year, and this is the first time we’ve ever held five,” Wright said. “So it’s a big, big change for us, and I think it’s a demonstration of how strong this sport is and how Dana White’s mecca for MMA continues to perform.”

While Wright admits the UFC’s focus for Canada hasn’t expanded beyond the announced schedule for 2014, he believes the market is strong enough for more “TUF” season and possibly even more live events.

“Last year we had three, this year we have five, and who knows how many we’re going to have next year,” he said.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming events schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Chad Laprise, Tom Wright, Olivier Aubin-Mercier)