Din Thomas says his time as a combat cornerman is over following Gillian Robertson’s unsuccessful UFC strawweight title problem at UFC 330. Thomas made the announcement after Robertson misplaced a unanimous resolution to champion Mackenzie Dern in Philadelphia.
Dern retained the 115-pound belt by scores of 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47 within the UFC 330 co-main occasion at Xfinity Cell Enviornment. It was Dern’s first profitable title protection, and it left Robertson quick in her first UFC championship alternative.
Robertson entered the bout together with her grappling thought to be a possible path to the upset, however Dern managed the vast majority of the five-round contest. Dern defended Robertson’s early takedown makes an attempt, blended in cleaner work on the toes, and repeatedly put Robertson on the canvas herself.
The champion took Robertson‘s again within the opening spherical and threatened a rear-naked choke before the horn. Dern returned to dominant positions by the second, third and fourth rounds, working from high management and pursuing submissions with out discovering a end. Robertson had her finest stretch within the fifth, scoring a takedown and spending time in high place, although it was not sufficient to vary the result.
Din Thomas Retires From Cornering After Gillian Robertson’s UFC 330 Title Loss
After the combat, Thomas delivered a candid message on the UFC Paramount post-fight broadcast and stated he had reached the top of his teaching position with Robertson.
“I believe that is perhaps so far as she will be able to go, and I’m formally retiring from cornering fighters tonight,” Thomas stated. “I’m not cornering fighters. I advised myself I might see her journey out and take her so far as I believe she will be able to go, and this is perhaps so far as she will be able to go.”
Thomas later defined that the dedication required to be a full-time cornerman performed into his resolution. He stated fighters want somebody in a position to dedicate the entire fight-week workload to them, together with the weight-cut course of, and he doesn’t consider he can supply that stage of involvement going ahead.
The timing made the announcement stand out. Thomas was in Robertson’s nook for the largest combat of her UFC profession, however the outcome was a tough stylistic final result: a grappler unable to persistently set up her most well-liked positions in opposition to a champion who repeatedly received the battles for management.
Thomas has been a well-recognized face throughout MMA for years, each as a coach and as an on-air analyst plus as a fighter. His resolution issues cornering fighters, slightly than essentially ending his presence within the sport altogether. UFC CEO Dana White stated he had not heard about Thomas’ resolution beforehand and prompt the grind of working with fighters could have led to the transfer.
