UFC veteran Din Thomas knows he botched this one. Following UFC 330 this past Saturday in Philadelphia, Thomas became the center of attention when he announced his retirement from cornering shortly after Gillian Robertson’s unanimous decision loss to strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern in the co-main event. And yes, the timing was brutal.

Many believed Thomas had unintentionally become the focus of the story, when the spotlight should have been on Robertson following one of the toughest losses of her career. Now, the UFC analyst is owning it.

“Saturday night was the most inappropriate time for me to bring up the fact that I did not want to corner again,” Thomas admitted on UFC on Paramount. “It was completely irresponsible; it was despicable. I shouldn’t have done it.

“I should have waited till maybe even today. I should have waited to a different time than to take away her moment.”

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‘Dinyero’ explained that his relationship with Gillian Robertson goes far beyond the usual coach-fighter dynamic. The two have been working together for years, traveling and training throughout almost her entire professional MMA career. He also recalled Robertson’s early troubles and how far her career has come since then.

“Now this is a young lady that I’ve worked with for her entire career,” he continued. “The last seven years, it’s just been me and her, working endlessly, just together, traveling.

“And I remember her coming to me crying; I just would like to win two in a row, three in a row. And she went on this amazing run. She’s broken records.”

That history made Din Thomas even more regretful about what happened after UFC 330.

“And I, selfishly, stole her moment that night, and instead of congratulating her on her run, I stole her moment,” he added. “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.

“And for her, Gillian, I love you. I got your back. I’ve always had your back. This is not the end. I’ve always had your back. And I want you to know that I’m always here for you. I’m always gonna support you, and whatever you need, I’m always here for you the same way I’ve been for you for the last seven years when it was just us.”

Din Thomas’ retirement announcement came only moments after Robertson lost to Dern in a unanimous decision, with all three judges siding with the champion.

“I do have an announcement for you guys,” Thomas said. “I told myself I would continue to do this until I took Gillian as far as she could go. I think that might be as far as she can go, and I am officially retiring from cornering fighters tonight.

“It’s just that I told myself that I would do this with her. I would see her journey out and take her as far as I think she can go, and this might be as far as she can go.”

This may clearly be one of those instances where having someone serving as both a cornerback and a broadcaster produced a messy situation. Perhaps the UFC should consider a blanket ban on coaches doing both on the same card.

Coaches will undoubtedly be emotional when their fighter falls short, which is understandable, especially when they have spent years working with them. But going from the corner straight to the broadcast desk can make it hard to separate those emotions from the job.

And in this case, the timing and words of Din Thomas’ announcement felt cold, to say the least, especially since it came at the worst possible time, worsening an already heartbreaking situation.

As expected, the comments immediately sparked backlash, with fans and even fellow fighters questioning why the UFC veteran chose that specific moment to announce his retirement.

Sean Strickland tears into Din Thomas after UFC 330 retirement

Sean Strickland did not hold back after hearing Din Thomas announce his retirement from cornering shortly after Gillian Robertson’s title fight loss. The UFC middleweight champion slammed the veteran coach on social media, accusing him of making an unnecessarily harsh decision at the worst possible time.

“Din Thomas is a f—— c—,” Strickland wrote. “I’ve had my a– kicked in multiple weight classes through my career and won two titles. You’re a d— head. It’s probably better you retire. You’re a s— coach. You only lose when you quit… Din sounds like you’re a f—— loser.”

When a fan defended Thomas and called him a legend, ‘Tarzan’ doubled down.

“He’s just a c—,” he added. “Girl goes out there and tries to do something, and you put her down. D— head.”

Meanwhile, UFC commentator Jon Anik also responded to the timing of the announcement with a blunt response.

“Wow. Awful. Not about you, bro! Wow,” he wrote on social media.

“This is a wild misstep,” Anik wrote in a subsequent social media post.

Din Thomas has finally accepted that criticism and, most importantly, apologized directly to the fighter who was at the center of the situation, admitting that his timing and choice of words were entirely off. If the words of the veteran coach are to be believed, it seems like his seven-year relationship with ‘The Savage’ remains more important to him than his ego.