Gillian Robertson breaks silence on Din Thomas controversy

Gillian Robertson has addressed her recent defeat and comments from longtime coach and mentor, Din Thomas.

Robertson suffered a unanimous decision loss to Ultimate Fighting Championship strawweight queen Mackenzie Dern in her failed title bid at UFC 330 in Philadelphia.

Thomas later announced on the UFC 330 post-fight show that he’s stepping away from cornering fighters, saying he had taken Robertson as far as he believes she can go. The timing of the announcement subsequently drew criticism from both fans and fighters. Robertson has now finally weighed in on the same.

Gillian Robertson says Din Thomas’ comments made her question his apology
Robertson, giving a statement to Ariel Helwani, says she had no indication before the post-show broadcast that Thomas planned to make the announcement.

“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 later contacted her privately, but she has not responded to his apology because of comments he made towards the rest of her team.

“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.”

She specifically cited the following comment from Thomas:

“Me doing that publicly was more so for TV purposes and ratings.”

The Canadian then discussed her future, adding that she’ll soon return to the gym and resume her quest for UFC gold.

“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," Robertson added.

I reached out to Gillian Robertson following Din Thomas’ comments and subsequent apology to get her thoughts on the situation. Here's what she had to say:

"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… pic.twitter.com/NnoonGmkGQ— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) August 18, 2026