Zuffa LLC

Gillian Robertson fell short in her bid for UFC gold this past Saturday, and now her head coach has retired from cornering.

Din Thomas, a renowned MMA coach and UFC on Paramount+ analyst, appeared on the UFC 330 post-fight show after Robertson was defeated by women's strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern. Thomas announced that his time cornering athletes is over (via MMAFighting).

“For my announcement — I do have an announcement for you guys — 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. I'm doing the Matt Serra: I'm no longer cornering fighters,†Thomas said.

Thomas would've been completely done sooner, but he wanted to coach Robertson for the biggest bout of her prizefighting career.

“It's just, 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,†Thomas said. “Listen, I'm the host of Deep Waters now [laughs]. …

While Thomas won't be giving corner advice to anyone moving forward, he still plans on mentoring some fighters.

“I'll still work with guys; it's just a matter of going down that road with cornering. It's a lot of work. It's a lot of work, it's a lot of stress. It's a lot of work; you've got to be there all week.â€

Some have criticized Thomas for the timing of his retirement announcement, and have even scolded him for seemingly saying that Robertson has peaked. Even UFC play-by-play ace Jon Anik took issue with the way Thomas handled his exit from cornering.

Do you think Din Thomas made a mistake announcing his retirement right after Gillian Robertson's loss, or do you not have an issue with it? Sound off in the comments below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

Zuffa LLC

Khabib Nurmagomedov has some big praise for Islam Makhachev in the aftermath of UFC 330.

Makhachev was in search of history this past Saturday in Philadelphia. The king of the welterweight division had his first successful 170-pound title defense, and broke a UFC record for most consecutive wins. Makhachev utilized his grappling and had success in the standup against Ian Machado Garry to fight his way to a unanimous decision.

Nurmagomedov was the main voice in Makhachev's corner on fight night, and he hopped on Instagram to share the utmost praise for his longtime friend and protege.

“There's a word: Achievement,†Nurmagomedov wrote. “In sports, it means a lot, and Islam and ‘achievement' are synonyms. He has reached the pinnacle of this sport, broken the record for the longest winning streak in UFC history, and is rightfully considered one of the best athletes to ever step into the Octagon. May the Almighty keep you safe, Brother.â€

Prior to Saturday's big UFC on Paramount+ event, longtime color commentator Joe Rogan said he wouldn't be surprised if Makhahcev were to retire with a win over Garry, but the 170-pound ruler doesn't plan to wrap things up just yet. Makhachev will be taking some time to heal up following a hard-fought win over Garry, but he wants to fight again prior to Ramadan.

Top welterweight contenders Carlos Prates and Michael Morales were in attendance for UFC 330. Makhachev has said he believes Prates is ahead of Morales on the pecking order. The champion believes Morales has been too inactive and needs to at least win a No. 1 contender fight.

As for Garry, he issued a video statement on his Instagram page. “The Future†claimed to have taken Makhachev to the wire, and he still believes he can become a UFC titleholder.

Who should be the next challenger for Islam Makhachev's UFC welterweight title? Join in on the conversation in the comments below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

Queensberry Promotions and Matchroom Boxing

Zuffa Boxing frontman Dana White has no clue if Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will ever share the ring.

Fury vs. Joshua has long been viewed as the biggest UK boxing match that can be booked. The problem is, neither side has been on the same page to make the bout a reality. Many believe “The Gypsy King†and Joshua should've fought during the peak of their careers, and White is one of those detractors.

During the UFC 330 post-fight presser, White questioned if Fury and Joshua actually have a desire to fight each other (via MMAMania).

“Listen, this f–king saga, we'll see how this whole thing plays out,†White said. “They either want to fight or they don't. I don't know.â€

White said there is still a substantial amount of money to be made for a potential Fury vs. Joshua fight. Even so, the UFC boss said nothing can materialize if the fighters don't actually want it to happen.

“To make a fight, two guys have to want to fight,†White said. “Period. End of story. Contracts and this and that? There's a lot of f–king money for grabs in this fight. Do you want to fight or do you not want to fight? I don't give a s–t one way or the other. I'd be happy [if the fight was in the UK]. I don't give a s–t. Do you want to fight or do you not want to fight?â€

White agrees with those who feel Fury vs. Joshua is long overdue, and he hopes the stars align to finally pull the matchup off.

“The fight should have happened ten years ago, is it going to happen now? We'll see.â€

Both Fury and Joshua recently had tune-up fights prior to their potential matchup. Fury traveled to Pattaya in Thailand to score a seventh round corner stoppage over Mariusz Wach. Joshua had far more difficulty in his clash with Kristian Prenga, surviving two knockdowns before turning the tide with a second-round knockout win.

Do you think Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua will finally happen, or will it forever be a “what if†story? Drop your opinion below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM