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HALIFAX - After a year that saw Canada host three UFC shows instead of a planned five, the UFC is still planning its 2015 schedule.But UFC Canada boss Tom Wright sees two to three annual pay-per-view shows in future, augmented by several smaller Fight Night televised cards.In 2014, Canada was slated to hold pay-per-view shows in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver (UFC 174 on June 14) with Fight Night shows in Quebec City (April 16) and Halifax (Saturday). UFC 178, slated for Toronto in September, was shifted to Las Vegas while the December Montreal show was scrapped.The UFC is a month away from finalizing its complete 2015 schedule yet but there are some Canadian clues.The UFC has a March date reserved at the Bell Centre so Montreal should get its card. And Toronto, having lost its 2014 show, is also expected to host a 2015 show with several dates reserved at the Air Canada Centre.The first foray into Atlantic Canada has been a home run, with between 10,000 and 11,000 fans expected at the soldout Scotiabank Centre. The gate is expected to exceed $1 million.This is a good example of why were excited about our sport across the country, Wright said Thursday. Because you come to a town like Halifax and theres a real buzz in the city, which is great.Canada is a good fit for the smaller Fight Night televised cards and Wright hopes to bring one to Saskatchewan, either Regina or Saskatoon, next year.I think it will do as well as weve done here, Wright said.Wright is also interested in bringing future televised shows to St. Johns, Moncton, Hamilton, Ottawa, London and Windsor, among others.He also says he will lobby to bring a pay-per-view to Edmonton once the new area is built. And Quebec City wants the UFC to come back, this time to its new arena.The 12-fight Halifax card features nine Canadian fighters, as well as athletes from 10 different birth countries: Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Cuba, France, Ireland, Nigeria, Russia and the U.S.Thats pretty cool, said Wright, who also oversees UFC operations in Australia and New Zealand.Halifax is the seventh Canadian city to host a UFC show, joining Calgary, Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver. Saturday will mark the UFCs 17th Canadian show since 2008. Welterweight Rory (Ares) MacDonald, a native of Kelowna, B.C., who trains in Montreal, takes on American-based Belgian Tarec (Sponge) Saffiedine in Saturdays main event.Wright has been on the move since joining the UFC. He leaves for Australia at the end of the month, his 10th trip Down Under in two years.He is also working on a new TV deal for the UFC in Canada, with Rogers Sportsnets agreement expiring at the end of the year.We are in negotiations, still with them as well, but with various partners, he said.NOTES a€” Newfoundland and Labrador, and P.E.I. are the only provinces without athletic commissions, according to Wright. The UFC could hold self-regulated shows there but would prefer to work with a local commission.Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter Ryan Callahan Jersey . -- EJ Manuel followed the worst game of his career with the best. Vincent Lecavalier Jersey . The Bruins forward has been fined $5,000 by the National Hockey League for spearing Red Wings defenceman Danny DeKeyser in the groin. http://www.lightninghockeystore.us/Customized/. The 27th-ranked Austrian underwent surgery on a torn tendon in October and needs more time to recover, the Austria Press Agency reports on Saturday. Andrei Vasilevskiy Jersey . Notes on P.K. Subban, Dale Weise, Erik Haula, Mikael Granlund, Ilya Bryzgalov and more. Ryan McDonagh Jersey . That assertion is getting harder and harder to make, especially given the way 23-year-old Danilo Gallinari has been playing this season. MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Grizzlies owner Robert Pera has followed through with his promise to open up his checkbook by signing Dave Joerger to a contract extension just days after allowing the coach to speak to the Minnesota Timberwolves about their vacancy. The Grizzlies announced Joergers extension Tuesday. Terms of the deal werent disclosed by the team, but Joerger said on ESPN 92.9 FM in Memphis that owner Robert Pera guaranteed the fourth year of his contract with a fifth year a team option. "He put his money right where his mouth is, and I put my money right where my mouth is ...," Joerger said. "Its good for both parties. Mike Conley and I were talking about weve been together for a long time brother. Now weve got another three, four, five year run on this deal." Pera wrote on Twitter that he finally had talked one-on-one with Joerger after his return from Minnesota where the coach interviewed twice in three days with the Timberwolves. "Following an open and honest dialogue with Dave, it became clear that Dave was fully committed to Memphis and we are committed to him," Pera said. "I look forward to seeing Dave build upon the foundation he helped establish over the last seven years, and we are both committed to bringing a championship to Memphis." Joerger went 50-32 for the best recordd among 10 first-year coaches and helped Memphis earn the No.dddddddddddd 7 seed in the Western Conference during his first season on the job after being an assistant the previous six seasons. The Grizzlies lost in seven games to Oklahoma City in the first round of the playoffs. But he was the Western Conference coach of the month in January and April, the only first-year coach to win the award twice since the NBA split into conferences in 20002-03. Joerger said three other teams called for permission to talk to him last week only to be turned down. The Minnesota native was allowed to talk to the Timberwolves and now is thanking Pera for believing in him. "I am 100 per cent committed to leading the Grizzlies and I could not be more proud to call Memphis home," Joerger said. Pera still has to decide who will be running the Grizzlies. General manager Chris Wallace currently is in charge temporarily, and the Grizzlies hold the No. 22 pick overall in the NBA Draft in a month. Zach Randolph has an option for the next season and signing him to an extension would give Memphis more space with the salary cap. Joerger said Pera wants to be more involved in the franchise and knows exactly what he wants to do moving forward. "Im here to tell you this thing is going to be very positive," Joerger said. ' ' '