TORONTO — At the Air Canada Centre today, Jon Jones, arguably the best mixed martial artist in the world, headlines the fourth UFC event in Toronto in the past two and a half years. His opponent: Alexander Gustafsson, who some think will be Jones’ toughest challenge to date. And yet, during the weigh-ins for UFC 165 on Friday at Maple Leaf Square there was a noticeable lack of roar from the few hundred fans in attendance.

Sure, there were plenty of cheers and certainly some boos—especially when Jones stepped on the scale—but the atmosphere wasn’t quite like it is at most big UFC events.

Maybe it had something to do with being outdoors under the threat of rain? Or do sports fans in Canada, or at least in its biggest city, care less about MMA today than they did two years ago?

Watch the UFC 165 preliminary card Saturday with four fights on sportsnet.ca starting at 6:00 p.m. ET / 3:00 p.m. PT then four additional bouts on Sportsnet 360 at 8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT – Broadcast Schedule

When you compare UFC 165’s pre-fight buzz to the last two Canadian events—UFC 158 and UFC 154, both of which took place in Montreal—there is a noticeable difference. During fight week in Montreal there is something in the air. People are talking about the event all week long.

Of course, a big part of the hype behind the two recent Montreal shows was the fact UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre headlined those events in front of a hometown crowd. “Unfortunately, specifically in a market like Toronto or Montreal, unless you have Georges St-Pierre, the premiere Canadian on a Canadian card headlining you won’t get the same amount of buzz,” said Spencer Miller, who has attended dozens of events across North America. “It doesn’t matter if it’s Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, anybody, even though they are worthy of the same recognition. Canada holds Canadians near and dear to their heart more than anything else.”

UFC president Dana White once called Canada the mecca of MMA. That had a lot to do with UFC’s debut in Toronto at the Rogers Centre in April 2011—a record-setting night for the UFC in terms of attendance (55,724) and gate ($12.075 million). The events since haven’t come close to matching that level of excitement. But just because UFC 165 is flying slightly under the radar in the host city doesn’t mean the sport or the UFC is dwindling in Canada.

After speaking with many MMA journalists following Friday’s weigh-ins, nobody thought Jones was the reason anticipation—and ticket sales—isn’t as high as previous Toronto events. In fact, many of them said they’d pay to see Jones fight regardless of who he’s up against—and that’s high praise coming from a group that doesn’t have to pay to get into UFC events.

And this is a big one. The UFC doesn’t often build cards with two title fights featured—there has only been one (UFC 136) since UFC 129—but this is the second consecutive Toronto show where more than one belt is on the line. At UFC 152, Jones defended his belt against Vitor Belfort, while in the co-main event Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez squared off in the first ever UFC flyweight title fight. The co-main event at UFC 165 is a bantamweight tilt with Renan Barao looking to defend his interim belt against former WEC champion Eddie Wineland.

Despite two titles being on the line and a slew of extremely talented and motivated fighters ready to perform on the undercard, UFC 165 is lacking a certain je ne sais quoi.

But Miller doesn’t think the overall interest of MMA in Canada has subsided. In fact, when UFC goes to new markets in Canada, including stops in Calgary and Winnipeg, fans lose their minds. “I just think that unfortunately, in Toronto specifically, they haven’t had Georges St-Pierre.”