Din Thomas Steps Down from Coaching Following Gillian Robertson's UFC 330 Loss

Following Gillian Robertson's championship bout loss to Mackenzie Dern at UFC 330 this past Saturday, her long-time head coach, Din Thomas, has announced his retirement from cornering fighters.

Thomas, a respected figure in mixed martial arts and a commentator for UFC on Paramount+, shared his decision during the UFC 330 post-fight show. He revealed that he had promised himself he would continue coaching Robertson until she reached the highest point of her career. With this title fight having concluded, Thomas feels he has fulfilled that commitment.

"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," Thomas stated. "I am officially retiring from cornering fighters tonight. I'm doing the Matt Serra: I'm no longer cornering fighters."

Although Thomas is stepping away from the corner, he clarified that he will still be involved in mentoring fighters. However, he expressed that the demanding nature of cornering—the extensive work and stress involved—led him to make this change.

The timing of Thomas's announcement has drawn some criticism, with some questioning his decision to retire immediately after Robertson's loss and interpreting his words as a suggestion that Robertson has reached her peak. Even UFC commentator Jon Anik has reportedly expressed reservations about the manner in which Thomas concluded his cornering career.

English Translation:

Following Gillian Robertson's loss in her bid for UFC gold this past Saturday, her head coach has announced his retirement from cornering.

Din Thomas, a renowned MMA coach and UFC on Paramount+ analyst, appeared on the UFC 330 post-fight show after Robertson was defeated by women's strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern. Thomas announced that his time cornering athletes is over.

"I told myself that 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. I’m doing the Matt Serra: I’m no longer cornering fighters," Thomas said.

Thomas would have retired sooner, but he wanted to coach Robertson for the most significant fight of her professional career. "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," Thomas explained. He also jested, "Listen, I’m the host of Deep Waters now."

While Thomas will no longer be providing corner advice, he still intends to mentor some fighters. "I’ll still work with guys; it’s just a matter of going down that road with cornering. It’s a lot of work. It’s a lot of work, it’s a lot of stress. It’s a lot of work; you’ve got to be there all week," he elaborated.

Some have criticized Thomas for the timing of his retirement announcement, and have even rebuked him for seemingly implying that Robertson has reached her career peak. Even UFC play-by-play announcer Jon Anik has reportedly taken issue with the way Thomas handled his exit from cornering.