TL;DR
If the Canadian market really is dwindling, I think it is because of a string of bad choices made by the UFC in how they have handled the T.V. market, and live shows here.
My observations and experiences;
If Conor or Ronda fought in Montreal or Toronto, even Vancouver, those fights would sell well. Canadians are patriotic, but not with the same intensity that other countries show. The Canadian loyalty to MMA is linked to overall fighter and promotional quality. Yes GSP was a big help to boost the fan depth, but the UFC treats the Canadian market too much like they do the Brazilian market; they think it has to be build around nationalism instead of just making it about quality.
Rory is not that well known among casual fans to carry cards along anywhere including Canada. He has definitely picked up fans after the latest fight with Robbie, but the age group that really get into MMA cards find characters like Conor much more appealing to watch.
The last card Rory was on was with Chad and Conor fighting. I watched it at a bar and the people around me were mostly talking about Conor.
The only real way to see if the Canadian market has dropped significantly is to look at the PPV buys and the Fight night ratings for the Country and compare them.
Several years ago the group I used to watch UFC events with was a moderately sized at about 15 to 20 people, most of which were about 10 to 15 years younger than I am. Five, six, and seven years later these people have transitioned to different points in their lives. Many of them are now married, with kids, mortgages, and full time jobs. Some of them have moved away for career opportunities, or just simply nestled down into their chosen careers. Being past those stages already has not changed my UFC/MMA commitments as much as the rest of the group has.
This does not mean that they all no longer follow or watch UFC events. Some still do now and then, others do not, and others still probably would except that it is not as easy to commit to once your lifestyle is forcibly changed by family and career obligations.
This topic is way too vast to just generalize. The UFC has had most of a decade to grow and maintain in the Canadian market. Obviously they like to have big stars leading the way in certain markets. Without GSP to carry it, perhaps the UFC really doesn't feel like the market is as solid as it once was. Ronda and Conor have been getting the biggest workload and Canada has had fewer events overall and the quality of those events has been lacking the bigger names in the sport.
I think the Canadian market would be happy to have some big cards with some big names on them. I am not sold on the idea that without GSP this market is weak per se. I think we Canadians are just as discerning as anyone else is. Send us weak cards and average shows and we won't hand over the money blindly. Plenty of the American shows put up weak numbers also. Fans the world over want to get good entertainment for the money they spend, however there are some places that will line up for anything UFC related because they hardly ever get shows on a regular basis. Those folks will buy practically anything because it might truly be once in a lifetime that an event will be on their soil. Canadians can easily travel into the U.S. to see some of the bigger shows if they wish.
I would also add that Hockey will always be a bigger priority to Canadians over MMA no matter what. Even during the UFC's peak with GSP at the helm, the local NHL games were given priority over the UFC. Usually the Leafs game would end and the UFC's main card would be just about to begin, or was into the first fight. During playoffs, the UFC would be ignored.
With TSN now holding the T.V. rights I think the UFC has lost a lot of ground. I watch most of the shows in the internet now. I can't find them on T.V. like I once could, and there are zero MMA shows recapping the events on my local cable channels. This means that I as a fan have to find the information and content to satiate my interest, whereas a few years ago it was broadcast to me via multiple T.V. channels and shows on my cable network. This has to suck for a causal fan. A couple of my friends actually just have me catch them up on the major details. Otherwise they would only know the headlines when it is big stuff like Ronda getting KOed, or something of equal viral impact.
I think the UFC has just mishandled the Canadian market. I think they let it die with GSP's 'sort of' retirement because they don't know how to handle us.
