Overview
- At UFC 330 on Saturday, Mackenzie Dern retained the women’s strawweight title by unanimous decision and Din Thomas announced live on the post‑fight show that he was retiring from cornering fighters.
- During the announcement Thomas said he had reached the limit of what he could accomplish with Robertson, saying she “might be as far as she can go,” a remark that framed much of the backlash.
- The timing and tone of Thomas’s comments drew immediate criticism from commentators, fighters and UFC CEO Dana White, who called the move “weird.”
- Two days later Thomas apologized on his Deep Waters podcast, said he “selfishly stole her moment,” expressed shame, and confirmed he will stop in‑corner, weeklong duties while still working with fighters in training.
- Thomas has coached Robertson for years and cited the heavy travel, weight‑cut support and weeklong commitment of cornering as reasons for stepping back, a change that leaves Robertson without her longtime in‑corner coach but with his off‑camp support.