{"id":853882,"date":"2026-08-13T14:50:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T14:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/853882\/"},"modified":"2026-08-13T14:50:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T14:50:10","slug":"tuf-34s-xavier-franklin-calls-herb-dean-a-lying-bastard-after-controversial-fight-restart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/853882\/","title":{"rendered":"TUF 34\u2019s Xavier Franklin calls Herb Dean a \u2018lying bastard\u2019 after controversial fight restart"},"content":{"rendered":"

Xavier Franklin won\u2019t be advancing to The Ultimate Fighter 34 tournament final and veteran referee Herb Dean has something to do with it.<\/p>\n

The most recent episode of the UFC\u2019s long-running reality series saw Franklin face off against Team Michael Bisping teammate Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu in a bantamweight semifinal bout. Akylbek Uulu used his wrestling to control much of the contest, but Franklin surged in the third and appeared to finish Akylbek Uulu with strikes with less than a minute remaining in the final round. Referee Herb Dean stepped in to wave off the bout, but Akylbek Uulu continued to complain of an eye poke, prompting Dean to go to video replay.<\/p>\n

After much confusion, Dean claimed he called for a timeout, not a stoppage, and the bout was eventually restarted. Akylbek Uulu and Franklin went to the scorecards, with Akylbek Uulu earning a decision win. Dean\u2019s questionable handling of the situation is just the latest<\/a> on his<\/a> ever-growing list<\/a> of officiating gaffes<\/a>, and Franklin had plenty to say about the call that might have cost him his shot at the UFC.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I hit him with a right hand or something, and I hurt him and he was wobbled bad,\u201d Franklin told MMA Fighting, recounting the conclusion of the bout. \u201cSo I went to like, a slap punch, but it was like my hand framed on his head. And then I pulled my hand down and then that\u2019s when the right hand came and I hit him. And then Herb Dean\u2014I looked, because it was fast, but in my head it was so slow\u2014Herb Dean was like, \u2018I didn\u2019t see any poke. Go.\u2019 Then that\u2019s when I hit him again.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want to hit him because I was like, \u2018F*ck bro.\u2019 I didn\u2019t poke him and Herb Dean\u2019s like, \u2018I didn\u2019t see a poke,\u2019 so then I just boom. So then Herb Dean gets between us and he\u2019s like, \u2018There was no poke, you have to keep fighting.\u2019 So that\u2019s why I ran back up to him, I\u2019m like, \u2018Oh shit, I\u2019ve got to hit him again. I\u2019ve got to finish the fight,\u2019 and then Herb Dean\u2019s like, \u2018It\u2019s over. The fight\u2019s done.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

On the broadcast of the episode, Dean can clearly be heard saying, \u201cYou\u2019re done, stop.\u201d Moments later, he called for the replay, initiating a break that took at least five minutes according to Franklin, who has been providing behind-the-scenes insights<\/a> to MMA Fighting this season. When the commission asked Dean if he waved off the bout, he said he did not, and that he actually called for a timeout.<\/p>\n

That didn\u2019t sit well with Franklin or his coach Bisping.<\/p>\n

Xavier: So in this, they asked Herb, they\u2019re like, \u201cDid you call the fight?\u201d<\/p>\n

And he goes, \u201cNo, I said time.\u201d<\/p>\n

In my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cYou lying bastard.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when Bisping goes, \u201cYou f*cking said the fight\u2019s over, you didn\u2019t call time.\u201d He said, \u201cEven if he poked him, you didn\u2019t step in during the poke. You let him hit him again, you let him hit him again, and then you stopped the fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lengthy break was less than ideal for Franklin, who says he felt his adrenaline was gone by the time they were asked to continue and Akylbek Uulu had plenty of time to recover from the most damaging blow of the contest. To add to the confusion, after the Round 3 buzzer sounded, Franklin was under the impression the fighters could go to fourth round if they were tied up on the scorecards, with Dean going as far as to kick everyone out of the cage should there be an extra period.<\/p>\n

However, the judges were able to come to a conclusion, scoring the bout in Akylbek Uulu\u2019s favor.<\/p>\n

Afterwards, Bisping went ballistic.<\/p>\n

Xavier: I get in the back and Michael Bisping is f*cking going crazy. He\u2019s like, \u201cWhat the f*ck? You got f*cked. I can\u2019t believe this. I\u2019ve never seen anything like this. We told you what to do. You went out there and finished him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then they reverse the call, you can\u2019t reverse the call that you already called, you can\u2019t reverse that. He went out there and said the fight\u2019s done, it\u2019s over, and then he lied and said it wasn\u2019t over because everybody was asking Dana [White], \u201cWhat the f*ck?\u201d and Dana\u2019s like, \u201cWhat the f*ck did the ref call?\u201d It just turned into chaos.<\/p>\n

Did Dean stick around to explain his call?<\/p>\n

Xavier: He didn\u2019t explain shit to nobody. He just was trying to cover his ass because he literally panicked when everybody was like, \u201cDana, what the f*ck?\u201d<\/p>\n

Did Franklin try to appeal to the commision?<\/p>\n

Xavier: No, because I think they knew he f*cked up so bad, I think it was just one of those like, \u201cOh shit.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was just one of those situations where I was like, when they say don\u2019t leave it in the hands of the judges, I try not to, and then it just went the way it did. I\u2019m not bitter that Ilimbek won, obviously, we\u2019re boys. That\u2019s like my little brother, but it just feels like I didn\u2019t lose at the same time that I won.<\/p>\n

Despite bowing out in the TUF 34 semifinals, Franklin is still optimistic he\u2019ll get his shot to fight in the UFC sooner rather than later. Should he make that walk to the octagon, he\u2019s hoping Dean isn\u2019t the third man in the cage.<\/p>\n

Xavier: I didn\u2019t even want to talk to him afterwards. I was too riled up. I probably would have got f*cking suspended or something if I talked to him afterwards.<\/p>\n

No more Herb Dean ever. I\u2019m going tell them debut me somewhere else. I\u2019m going to have to make the call to to Papa Dana. \u201cDana, listen, bro, please just don\u2019t let him be my referee.\u201d<\/p>\n

Drama seems to follow Franklin around as his quarterfinal bout also featured controversy after he landed a knee on a grounded Micaias Urena<\/a> that had Urena\u2019s coach Daniel Cormier crying foul. Replays conclusively showed Franklin\u2019s knee connecting with Urena\u2019s body, not his head, making it a legal strike, and Franklin went on to win that fight by knockout.<\/p>\n

That victory put three Team Bisping fighters in the semifinals: Franklin, Akylbek Uulu, and Mehemmedeli Osmanli. Franklin says Akylbek Uulu and Osmanli were already butting heads in training, so matching them up made sense, but Franklin instead had to fight his close friend. When Franklin and Akylbek Uulu expressed awkwardness over the situation, that opened up a whole other can of worms.<\/p>\n

Xavier: After that shit happened, after he chose us, we went back to the locker room and then Bisping\u2019s like, \u201cWhat are we going to do with the training situation?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just like, \u201cI can\u2019t train next to him. It\u2019s just bad. I\u2019ll just go train on DC\u2019s side.\u201d<\/p>\n

And then Mike\u2019s like, \u201cOK, I guess.\u201d And then he was asking Ilimbek, \u201cWhat do you want to do?\u201d Ilimbek\u2019s like, \u201cCoach, I can\u2019t train next to him. He\u2019s my friend, but we can\u2019t train next to each other.\u201d It\u2019s just hard to train next to each other and then you\u2019re going to fight, it\u2019s weird.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, because Cormier\u2019s fighter Christian Strong had also advanced to the semis, he wouldn\u2019t allow Bisping\u2019s fighters to train with them.<\/p>\n

So Bisping had to lay the hammer down on his charges.<\/p>\n

Xavier: Mike goes, \u201cStop being a bitch. You\u2019re acting like a bitch right now.\u201d Just starts disrespecting Ilimbek and I\u2019m like, \u201cOh my God.\u201d He\u2019s like, \u201cY\u2019all acting like a bunch of p*ssies. You didn\u2019t have any friends before you came here, you\u2019re here for yourself.\u201d Just going off, it was just crazy, and I\u2019m just like, \u201cWow.\u201d<\/p>\n

I mean, it was unacceptable, but I credit it, he was jetlagged, but I\u2019m just like, \u201cYou don\u2019t talk to somebody like that, Mike, come on, man.\u201d You know how Mike is, but I\u2019m just like, \u201cThis is all f*cked up. This is just a shitty situation, it\u2019s so bad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because much of the episode was taken up by Franklin and Akylbek Uulu\u2019s fight, there were apparently several scenes left on the cutting room floor that showed how conflicted they were about going up against one another. Franklin recalled one quiet moment, before the semifinal matchups were finalized, when the two were talking and they fully felt the weight of the situation.<\/p>\n

Xavier: They didn\u2019t even show there\u2019s a part where me and Ilimbek are both walking on the treadmill together talking about like, \u201cYou think we\u2019re going to have to fight each other?\u201d all this, and I was like, \u201cYeah.\u201d And we both were saying, \u201cBefore we got here, we said we\u2019ll fight anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said, \u201cNow, you\u2019re the only person I wouldn\u2019t want to fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

I said the same exact thing and I was just like, \u201cDamn.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ultimate Fighter 34 streams exclusively on Paramount+ with new episodes every Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Unlike most editions of TUF, coaches Michael Bisping and Daniel Cormier will not fight at the conclusion of the season, as both are long retired.<\/p>\n

The finalists of the TUF 34 bantamweight and strawweight tournaments will compete for a six-figure UFC contract in the show\u2019s live finale fights. A date for those bouts is yet to be announced.<\/p>\n

See The Ultimate Fighter 34 teams below.<\/p>\n

Xavier Franklin (6-1-1, 1 NC), U.S.Mehemmedeli Osmanli (11-1), AzerbaijanIlimbek Akylbek Uulu (9-3), KyrgyzstanMarlon Jones (5-0), U.K.Anna Melisano (6-1), U.S.GiGi Canuto (7-1), BrazilMackenzie Stiller (6-1), U.S.Natalia Alves (8-0), BrazilArtem Belakh (11-2), KazakhstanMicaias Urena (12-4), Dominican RepublicSean Mora (7-1), CubaChristian Strong (9-1), U.S.Tina Black (15-4, 1 NC), BrazilDelphine Benouaich (7-2), FranceMelissa Amaya (8-0), U.S.Anita Karim (6-2), Pakistan<\/p>\n

Here are the semifinal results and pending matchups:<\/p>\n

Melissa Amaya def. GiGi Canuto via TKO (strikes) (R2)<\/p>\n

Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu def. Xavier Franklin via decision<\/p>\n

Delphine Benouaich vs. Tina Black<\/p>\n

Mehemmedeli Osmanli vs. Christian Strong<\/p>\n

Here are the quarterfinal results:<\/p>\n

Melissa Amaya def. Anna Melisano via submission (rear-naked choke) (R1)<\/p>\n

Christian Strong def. Marlon Jones via decision<\/p>\n

GiGi Canuto def. Anita Karim via TKO (strikes) (R1)<\/p>\n

Mehemmedeli Osmanli def. Artem Belakh via submission (rear-naked choke) (R1)<\/p>\n

Tina Black def. Natalia Alves via TKO (strikes) (R2)<\/p>\n

Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu def. Sean Mora via decision<\/p>\n

Delphine Benouaich def. Mackenzie Stiller via decision<\/p>\n

Xavier Franklin def. Micaias Urena via TKO (strikes) (R1)<\/p>\n

Advancing to finals: Amaya, Akylbek Uulu<\/p>\n

Advancing to semifinals: Amaya, Strong, Canuto, Osmanli, Black, Akylbek Uulu, Benouaich, Franklin<\/p>\n

Eliminated: Melisano, Jones, Karim, Belakh, Alves, Mora, Stiller, Urena<\/p>\n

Xavier Franklin is a cast member on The Ultimate Fighter 34 and a guest contributor to MMA Fighting. He also served as Michael Bisping\u2019s unofficial English accent translator on the show.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Xavier Franklin won\u2019t be advancing to The Ultimate Fighter 34 tournament final and veteran referee Herb Dean has…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":853883,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[570],"tags":[64,63,786,1347,785,85,787,1396],"class_list":["post-853882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mma","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-fighting","tag-latest-news","tag-mma","tag-sports","tag-ufc","tag-ufc-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/853882","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=853882"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/853882\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/853883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=853882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=853882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=853882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}