Latest news with #DinThomas
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC analyst says Robert Whittaker's title days over after UFC on ABC 9 loss
Din Thomas was impressed with the fighting spirit of Robert Whittaker at UFC on ABC 9, but can't overlook the negative career impact of the result against Reiner de Ridder. Thomas was on-site Saturday in Abu Dhabi serving as the broadcast analyst when former middleweight champion Whittaker (26-9 MMA, 17-7 UFC) suffered a split decision loss to de Ridder (20-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) at Etihad Arena. It was a competitive battle with both men getting hurt at moments and fighting hard until the end, and two of three judges had it for the former two-division ONE Championship titleholder. At could've been a deflating moment for Whittaker, who lost consecutive fights for the first time since 2014. Instead, he only said he was "butt hurt" about what happened then left the octagon with no further excuses. And Thomas likes what he saw in that moment. "Even when the result was read and he lost, he still seemed to be in a good place," Thomas told MMA Junkie. "I like this for Robert Whittaker because he's not sour, he didn't seem like he was complaining and he wasn't pointing fingers at anybody. He knew what he was in with that fight and he knew it was a tough fight, he knew it wasn't a dominant performance so neither fighter could complain either way. "I was really impressed with Robert Whittaker his ability to withstand those hard times in the fight and have a lot of positivity left a lot of confidence in his ability to win. ... In the trenches in this fight, Robert Whittaker still seemed to be able to bounce back, and I liked that. I thought it was inspiring." Despite his commendable performance, results are almost always the ultimate dictator in the UFC, and now Whittaker's record shows four losses in his past seven fights, albeit to elite competition. At 34, Whittaker has logged more than four hours of total fight time during his run at 185 pounds. It's a crossroads moment going forward, and with the top of the division being as intruiging as ever, Thomas said it would be a good time for Whittaker to drop down in rankings and fight someone who will truly serve as a barometer. "I think you give him Roman Kopylov," Thomas said. "I think you give him Kopylov before you start feeding him to the guys. Before we say, 'We're done with you and we're going to start feeding you.' Because Kopylov is somewhere in the back of the rankings. You give him Kopylov to say, 'We're giving you No. 15 and if you win that we keep you up here. We'll keep you fighting these guys. But if you lose that, now you've got to fight the up-and-comers.'" Fighting up-and-comers is surely a far cry from what Whittaker wants to do, but Thomas said it's not an easy spot. "The Reaper" needs a victory to keep his head above water with the emerging contenders, but as far as the pre-fight plans he expressed to have a "fairytale end" to his career with UFC gold? Thomas said that seems like a long shot. "No, if I had to bet I wouldn't assume he gets there," Thomas said. "It's interesting though because he said he had a four-fight plan to get back to a title. Now it looks like it's going to take about four fights. With a win over RDR it would've of been less than four fights." To hear more from Thomas, check out his complete appearance on "The Bohnfire" podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn above. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC analyst: Robert Whittaker's title days over after Abu Dhabi loss
USA Today
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
UFC on ABC 9 commentators, broadcast plans: Michael Bisping returns to booth
The UFC's massive July schedule concludes Saturday with UFC on ABC 9, which goes down at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. As always, some marquee on-air talent will be there for the promotion's return to "Fight Island" to help guide viewers through the experience. Details of who will work as commentators and analysts for each event have been acquired by MMA Junkie through a person with knowledge of the situation, and you can see the scheduled broadcast team below. UFC on ABC 9 broadcast The UFC on ABC 9 main card airs on ABC and streams on ESPN+ in the U.S. The main card lineup is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. ET following prelims, which air on ESPN and stream on ESPN+, slated to start at noon ET. UFC on ABC 9 desk analysts Veteran broadcaster Karyn Bryant serves as desk anchor and host at UFC on ABC 9. UFC veteran and coach Din Thomas joins her at the desk as an analyst throughout the broadcast and on the post-fight show. UFC on ABC 9 roving reporter Longtime UFC correspondent Heidi Androl will conduct pre and post-fight interviews backstage with some of the athletes on the UFC on ABC 9 card, as well as report additional real-time updates for the event. UFC on ABC 9 octagon announcer Longtime octagon announcer Joe Martinez will introduce the fighters before battle at UFC on ABC 9. UFC on ABC 9 cageside commentators John Gooden will serve as the leading man on the mic from cageside at UFC on ABC 9. He'll command play-by-play and be joined in the booth by UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping and retired lightweight contender Paul Felder.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Din Thomas: UFC champ Jon Jones' nonsense a marketing ploy, will fight Tom Aspinall
Din Thomas thinks Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall is being dragged out for a reason. UFC heavyweight champion Jones' most recent comments regarding the long-awaited title-unification bout with interim Aspinall have been worrisome after saying that he "could really care less about fighting." Advertisement Dana White's patience has been running thin, and the UFC CEO said he's willing to move on if the fight doesn't get done in a couple of weeks. Analyst and coach Thomas is confident Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) will end up fighting Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC). "It's got to be Jon Jones," Thomas told MMA Junkie. "I think all this nonsense is just marketing. I think it's marketing to keep it out there, to make it even bigger. Every show I've done, we talked more about Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall. We've talked about a fight that wasn't even signed more than fights that happened, and I think that was done purposely. "I think Jon Jones is going to fight. He has to. There's no way he goes this route, does all this, and then not fight. I think it's all marketing to keep it out there, to make it even bigger, and bigger, and bigger, and this is going to end up getting signed, and then it's going to be the big fight the UFC needs to close out the year." Jones has been accused of ducking Aspinall, been labeled as scared, and had plenty of fighters and pundits criticize his actions for dragging out the fight. Thomas still think Jones has played the entire situation smartly. Advertisement "It's the right strategy, too, because think about this: If the plan was to have them fight in November or December, and we announced it in February, no one would talk about it until then. We get tired of talking about it, but the idea of Jon Jones hinting around, Tom Aspinall calling him a duck, it just really kept us dangling. It just kept that carrot dangling in front of us, and we'd reach for it, and then we go, 'Oh.' Then they bring it back out and we reach for it and we go, 'Oh.' But I think now's about the time where they can make it a really strong announcement and we go, 'Yes!' It's like a movie." To hear more from Thomas, check out his complete appearance on "The Bohnfire" podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn above. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC analyst: Jon Jones' actions all marketing, will fight Tom Aspinall
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
UFC analyst: 'Despicable' Jon Jones, like Conor McGregor, needs attention but should leave
Din Thomas is frustrated with how the Jon Jones saga has played out. Just days before Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) announced his retirement, Thomas told MMA Junkie that he was confident the Tom Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) fight would happen, and that it was all just a marketing ploy from the former UFC heavyweight champion. Advertisement Well, Thomas was wrong – or was he? As Jones has already decided to re-enter the anti-doping testing pool weeks after retiring, leaving Thomas extremely angry. "My initial thought when I heard that was this dude just loves attention," Thomas said on Daniel Cormier's YouTube channel. "He loves attention. He's just trying to keep his name out there and he loves attention. He's dangling his status over our heads, and I hate it. I'm going to tell you right now: I don't give a f*ck if Jon Jones ever fights again. I don't care, man. "He's the greatest to ever do it, for sure. He's great. He's super great. But I don't care if he ever fights again. Just ride off into the sunset. You know who I care about? I care about Ilia Topuria, Dustin Poirier, the dudes that are out putting their lives on the line for us. I care about those dudes. Jon Jones, I don't care if he fights again." Thomas compared Jones to Conor McGregor, who talked about returning on numerous occasions, but hasn't competed since July 2021. Advertisement "We spent a year and a half talking about him not fighting – a year and a half," Thomas said. "I'm like, 'Yo, just ride off, dog. You had a great career. You had two great Hall of Fame careers. Just ride off into the sunset. Stop playing with our emotions, man. I'm tired of it.' ... He's become like Conor McGregor. It's the Conor McGregor (seeking attention without fighting) thing. "Now, if Jon Jones came back, signed on the dotted line that he was fighting Tom Aspinall, yeah, I'd be excited for it. I'd be in the front row to watch it. But the fact that he's dangling this carrot over our head about fighting, it completely is despicable. Just leave, man. Just leave. Is it really for attention? Does he need attention that bad? Conor does that. Him and Conor both do that." This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC analyst: 'Despicable' Jon Jones should 'just leave'
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Din Thomas: Arman Tsarukyan as UFC 317 backup doesn't mean he's 'out of the dog house'
Arman Tsarukyan getting the assignment as UFC 317 title fight backup would seem like a positive step forward for his career, but longtime analyst Din Thomas has doubts. After pulling out of a lightweight title bout against then-champ Islam Makhachev on weigh-in day at UFC 311 in January, Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) has been trying to redeem himself with the company and get himself back to the spot he previously held as No. 1 contender. Advertisement He wasn't the first call to compete for the belt Makhachev vacated to move to welterweight. That instead went to Ilia Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) and Charles Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC), who meet in Saturday's main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+). Tsarukyan was recently confirmed to get the task of weighing in should anything happen to Topuria or Oliveira at the 11th hour before UFC 317, but UFC analyst Thomas doesn't think that guarantees he's in back in the good books of the brass, or will even get a chance to face the winner. "I don't think it means he's out of the dog house," Thomas told MMA Junkie. "I think it means he gets the consolation prize because Justin Gaethje will probably get the next shot, and Justin Gaethje said, 'I'm not cutting weight to be a backup. I want the title shot.' And the UFC was like, 'All right, we're not going to make you cut weight.' Because Justin Gaethje should probably be the rightful owner of this position, so I think by default, Arman Tsarukyan was the only guy they could go to for this, and Arman is going to do whatever he can to get himself out of the dog house – had to say yes." If his services as the backup are not needed, then it remains to be seen what Tsarukyan's next move will be. There's no clear next challenger after UFC 317, though Thomas clearly believes Gaethje will get that opporunity. Advertisement Whatever it is, it's something that will not meet the standard of a title shot that Tsarukyan was previously booked for. He's said he will do whatever the promotion asks to get his stock back up, and making weight at UFC 317, whether he fights or not, will be part of that process. "You have to, because when you start playing with fire with the UFC, that's the hand that feeds you," Thomas said. "So when you start getting too close to biting it, you've got pull back a little bit and understand what's going on. And that's what I think happened. Sometimes these guys get in position where they start talking reckless or acting reckless, then they realize the show will go on with or without you. "And in fact, without you, you're going to see your buddies in the sport (like Renato Moicano fighting Makhachev at UFC 311), and you're going to be really sad. So I think Arman Tsarukyan realized that and was like, 'Woah, I've got to make sure I stay in good graces.'" To hear more from Thomas, check out his complete appearance on "The Bohnfire" podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Analyst: Arman Tsarukyan in 'dog house' despite UFC 317 backup role
