Xavier Franklin Blasts Herb Dean After TUF 34 Restart Costs Him a Final Spot

Xavier Franklin thought he'd punched his ticket to The Ultimate Fighter 34 final. With under a minute left in the third round of his bantamweight semifinal against Team Bisping teammate Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu, Franklin wobbled his opponent and swarmed him, and referee Herb Dean stepped in to wave it off. Then everything unraveled.

Akylbek Uulu started complaining about an eye poke, Dean went to video replay, and after a break Franklin estimates ran at least five minutes, the veteran official reversed course and claimed he'd called a timeout, not a stoppage. The fight was restarted, went the distance, and the judges scored it for Akylbek Uulu. A win Franklin says he'd already earned turned into a loss on the cards.

"He literally said the fight's done, then lied and said it wasn't," is the gist of Franklin's account. He told MMA Fighting he cracked Akylbek Uulu with a right hand, framed with a slap punch, and landed again after Dean insisted there was no poke and told them to keep going — before abruptly declaring it over. On the broadcast, Dean can be heard saying, "You're done, stop," moments before calling for the replay.

What Actually Happened in the Cage

Franklin's frustration isn't just about the reversal — it's the physics of the delay. He says his adrenaline had drained by the time officials asked the fighters to continue, while Akylbek Uulu got ample time to recover from the hardest shot of the night. To pile on the confusion, Franklin was under the impression a fourth round was possible if the scorecards came back tied, with Dean threatening to clear everyone out of the cage. The judges settled it before that scenario played out.

Coach Michael Bisping wasn't quiet about it. Franklin says Bisping went off in the moment, telling Dean he'd said the fight was over and never called time, and pointing out that Dean let Franklin land repeatedly before finally stepping in. Franklin's takeaway was blunt: it feels like he didn't lose at the same time that he didn't win. He also stresses he holds no grudge against Akylbek Uulu, who he describes as a close friend.

The Drama Doesn't Stop There

This is Franklin's second controversial fight of the season. His quarterfinal win over Micaias Urena drew a complaint from opposing coach Daniel Cormier over a knee to a grounded opponent — until replays confirmed it landed on the body, a legal strike, and Franklin finished the job by knockout. That win helped put three Team Bisping fighters in the semis alongside Akylbek Uulu and Mehemmedeli Osmanli, which is exactly what forced Franklin into the octagon against his friend.

Franklin still believes a UFC contract is coming, semifinal exit or not. He's just got one request when he makes that walk: no Herb Dean. He says he plans to call Dana White directly and ask that Dean be kept off his debut, admitting he avoided the referee after the fight entirely — figuring a conversation in that state might have earned him a suspension.