Gillian Robertson has broken her silence on Din Thomas’ controversial comments following her UFC 330 loss to Mackenzie Dern, revealing why she has yet to respond to her longtime coach’s apology.
Robertson suffered a unanimous decision defeat to Dern in the UFC women’s strawweight title fight at UFC 330 in Philadelphia. Shortly afterward, Thomas announced during the post-fight broadcast that he was retiring from cornering fighters and suggested Robertson may have reached her ceiling.
Din Thomas’ apology
His comments drew significant backlash, with Thomas later apologizing publicly on his Deep Waters show and calling his actions irresponsible and “despicable.”
What Gillian Robertson has said about those comments
Speaking after the situation unfolded, Gillian Robertson explained that Din Thomas’ comments came as a surprise to her. She told Ariel Helwani:
“Prior to [Saturday’s broadcast], I didn’t see any sign of what was to be said. After the broadcast, he had said, ‘I will address this in the morning,’ followed by, ‘Going live on [Deep Water’s] in 15 minutes.’ He did reach out to me privately at 5:00 PM and then sent a voice message apologizing around 7:30 PM, to which I have not responded due to comments he has made since the broadcast, privately, to my team that led me to believe there is not much weight in the apology, such as, ‘Me doing that publicly was more so for TV purposes and ratings.’
I don’t think there’s a conversation to be had. I’m good with everything. The people who sign my checks are cool. As for now, I regroup, take some time to heal, and I will be back in the gym as soon as possible on the same mission.”
Thomas and Robertson have worked together for years, with Thomas serving as a longtime coach and BJJ mentor. Robertson has previously credited him as an important part of her development. Thomas has since taken responsibility for the timing of his announcement, acknowledging that making the retirement revelation immediately after Robertson’s title defeat overshadowed her moment.
Gillian Robertson, however, appears ready to move forward without dwelling on the controversy, focusing instead on recovering from the loss and returning to training.
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