UFC veteran Din Thomas has apologized to Gillian Robertson after facing heavy criticism for announcing his retirement from cornering immediately following Robertson’s unanimous decision loss to Mackenzie Dern at UFC 330 last Saturday. However, the Canadian fighter does not appear ready to accept the apology from her longtime coach, revealing that comments allegedly made by Thomas after the broadcast have left her questioning his sincerity.

Thomas issued the apology during an episode of Paramount+’s Deep Waters podcast, admitting that his decision to announce his retirement on air in the immediate aftermath of Robertson’s defeat was inappropriate. “It was completely irresponsible; it was despicable. I shouldn’t have done it,” he said. “And I want to apologize to her for that, because I stole her moment. And I was completely wrong. I’m ashamed. I’m embarrassed. But I’m not too big to say I’m sorry.” While the 49-year-old has apologized and acknowledged that he had handled the situation poorly, Robertson apparently remains hurt by what happened.

During his latest show, Ariel Helwani revealed that he had reached out to Gillian Robertson about the controversy. In her response to him, which Helwani read out on his show, the UFC strawweight contender expressed her perspective on Thomas’ comments on his retirement during the broadcast as well as his subsequent apology a day later.

“Prior to the broadcast, I didn’t see any sign of what was to be said,” Robertson’s statement to Helwani read. “ After the broadcast, [Din Thomas] had said, ‘I will address this in the morning.’ He did reach out to me privately at 5 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 lead 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.”

This suggests that the Canadian had no clue about his retirement announcement beforehand. And for her, the blowback from his announcement, as well as his “this might be as far as she can go” comment, prompted an apology from him rather than any genuine sense of remorse about what he did and what he said.

For Gillian Robertson, the timing of Din Thomas’ original announcement appears to have been particularly painful.

The Canadian had just gone through five difficult rounds against Dern at UFC 330, ultimately losing the strawweight championship fight by unanimous decision. Dern retained her belt with scores of 49-46, 49-46, and 48-47. The 31-year-old had trained under Thomas since she was 16 years old, making his decision to announce his retirement from cornering immediately after her defeat all the more difficult to process.

His announcement, alongside his comment “this might be as far as she can go,” even bothered those who had tuned in to watch the event. His remark immediately drew criticism from several prominent figures, including UFC commentator Jon Anik and CEO Dana White.

While Din Thomas clarified that his retirement only applies to cornering fighters and that he intends to continue coaching athletes at his gym, given Robertson’s latest comments, it remains unclear whether their professional relationship will continue.

While Robertson is choosing to focus on her comeback, another UFC champion has been far more vocal in criticizing Thomas.

Sean Strickland backs Gillian Robertson with an X-rated rant on Din Thomas

Following Din Thomas’ retirement announcement immediately after Gillian Robertson’s loss, Sean Strickland took to social media to unleash a targeted rant against the longtime coach and UFC veteran. The two-time middleweight champion grilled Thomas for leaving his fighter at her lowest moment and even called him a “s—t coach.”

“Din Thomas is a f— c—t,” Strickland wrote. “I’ve had my a— kicked in multiple weight classes through my career and won two titles… You’re a d—k head. It’s probably better you retire. You’re a s—t coach. You only lose when you quit… Din, sounds like you’re a f—-g loser.”

When it comes to fighter-coach animosity, Sean Strickland also has a fair share of history with his head coach, Eric Nicksick. After losing his rematch against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 312, Strickland’s longtime coach Eric Nicksick described his performance as “unimpressive.” The comments from Xtreme Couture coach reportedly contributed to Strickland deciding that Nicksick would no longer corner him. However, the two eventually reconciled.

Strickland later returned to Nicksick’s corner and ultimately reclaimed the UFC middleweight title by defeating Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328.

So, the Nevada-based fighter’s rant does come from a place of experience. But Strickland’s tirade against the former ATT coach also sparked an abrupt beef with Tyron Woodley, who was previously coached by Din Thomas as well.

For now, however, the focus remains on Gillian Robertson and whether her relationship with Thomas can survive the controversy. While Din Thomas has apologized and admitted that he handled the situation poorly, Robertson’s latest comments suggest that the damage caused by the announcement may run deeper than the initial apology can repair.