Din Thomas apologizes to Gillian Robertson for ‘irresponsible’ retirement announcement after UFC 330 loss

After watching Gillian Robertson come up short in her bid for the women’s strawweight championship against Mackenzie Dern at UFC 330, Din Thomas caused a stir in the MMA world with a retirement announcement that included statements about Robertson that many found disrespectful.

Thomas, a former UFC fighter-turned-coach, spoke during the UFC 330 post-show, where he revealed his retirement from cornering fighters.

“I do have an announcement for you guys,” Thomas stated. “I told myself I would continue to do this until I took Gillian as far as she could go. I think that might be as far as she can go, and I am officially retiring from cornering fighters tonight. It’s just I told myself that I would do this with her. I would see her journey out and take her as far as I think she can go, and this might be as far as she can go.”

Robertson was dominated by Dern for the majority of the fight, though she finished with a strong fifth round, taking Dern down and spending much of the round in top position.

Many objected to the timing of Thomas’ announcement, as well as his sentiment that Robertson had hit her ceiling as a title challenger who came up short, believing the statement to be in poor taste in the immediate aftermath of a crushing loss for a fighter he had trained for many years.

On Monday’s episode of “Deep Waters” on the UFC on Paramount+ YouTube channel, Thomas apologized for the timing of his announcement.

“It’s an emotional rollercoaster,” Thomas stated. “You’re dealing with the same insecurities, with the same highs and lows. Everything leading up to it, you have to deal with all that stuff, and it’s an emotional rollercoaster. And I’ve been very vocal about this, that it’s not my favorite thing to do. I’ve tried to quit time and time before. When Tyron Woodley got knocked out by Jake Paul, I was like, ‘Yo, this is my last time doing this. My last time doing this. I’m not doing this no more.’ But I took on Gillian, and I have to say, Saturday night was the most inappropriate time for me to bring up that I did not want to corner again.

‘It was completely irresponsible, it was despicable. I shouldn’t have done it. I should have waited until maybe even today. I should have waited for a different time than to take away her moment. This is a young lady that I’ve worked with for her entire career. The last seven years, it’s just been me and her, working endlessly together, traveling, working together. They don’t understand that we’ve been working endlessly time and time together.”

Thomas reflected back on a time when Robertson was struggling to put together a meaningful winning streak to get into contention before continuing his apology.

“I remember her coming to me crying, ‘I just would like to win two in a row, three in a row,'” Thomas stated. “And she went on this amazing run. She’s broken records. And I, selfishly, stole her moment that night. Instead of congratulating her on that run, I stole her moment, and I want to apologize to her for that, because I stole her moment. I was completely wrong. I’m ashamed. I’m embarrassed, but I’m not too big to say I’m sorry. For her, Gillian, I love you. I’ve got your back; I’ve always had your back. This is not the end. I’ve always had your back, and I want you to know I’m always here for you. I’m always going to support you, and whatever you need, I’m always here for you the same way I’ve been for you for the past seven years when it was just us.”

“Deep Waters” streams live on the UFC on Paramount+ YouTube channel every Monday at 12 p.m. ET.