Robertson rejects Thomas apology after coach's post-fight broadcast blindsided her team

Gillian Robertson says she was blindsided when longtime coach Din Thomas publicly announced he was stepping away from cornering fighters on the UFC 330 post-fight broadcast, hours after she suffered a unanimous decision loss to strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern in Philadelphia.

Speaking to journalist Ariel Helwani, Robertson said she received no indication before the broadcast that Thomas intended to make the announcement, in which he stated he had taken her as far as he believed she could go. “Prior to the broadcast, I didn’t see any sign of what was to be said,” Robertson said. “After the broadcast, he had said, ‘I will address this in the morning,’ followed by, ‘Going live on air in 15 minutes.’”

Thomas reached out privately later that evening, sending a voice message apology at around 7:30 p.m., but Robertson says she has not responded. Her reason centres on comments Thomas made to the rest of her team after the broadcast. “He did reach out to me privately at 5 p.m. and then sent a voice message apologizing around 7:30 p.m., 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.”

The comment Robertson found most damaging was Thomas’s own explanation for the timing of his announcement: “Me doing that publicly was more so for TV purposes and ratings.”

The departure and its circumstances drew swift criticism from fans and fellow fighters, with many questioning why Thomas chose a live post-fight platform rather than a private conversation to end a coaching relationship with a fighter who had just come off a championship defeat.

Despite the fallout, Robertson made clear she has no intention of stepping away from competition. “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,” she said, reaffirming her pursuit of UFC gold.