Franklin Calls Dean A 'Lying Bastard' After TUF 34 Loss

Xavier Franklin says referee Herb Dean cost him a spot in The Ultimate Fighter 34 finale.

Franklin dropped Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu with strikes late in the third round of their bantamweight semifinal, according to MMA Fighting. Dean stepped in and appeared to wave the fight off. Then Akylbek Uulu complained of an eye poke and Dean went to replay. After a five-minute delay, Dean claimed he had called timeout — not a stoppage — and the bout resumed. Akylbek Uulu won by decision.

Franklin Accuses Dean Of Lying About Call

Franklin told MMA Fighting he hurt Akylbek Uulu with a right hand and moved in to finish. "Herb Dean was like, 'I didn't see any poke. Go,'" Franklin said, recounting the sequence. He landed another shot and Dean got between them, Franklin said, telling him there was no poke and to keep fighting. Franklin rushed back in. "Then Herb Dean's like, 'It's over. The fight's done,'" Franklin said. The broadcast captured Dean saying "You're done, stop" before he called for the replay.

When the commission asked Dean if he waved off the fight, he said no, Franklin said. Dean reportedly claimed he called time instead. "In my head, I'm like, 'You lying bastard,'" Franklin told MMA Fighting. Coach Michael Bisping protested that Dean said the fight was over, Franklin said, not that he called time. Bisping also argued Dean let Franklin land additional strikes before stopping it. The lengthy break sapped Franklin's momentum, he said, and gave Akylbek Uulu time to recover. Dean left without explaining the call, Franklin said.

Franklin said he plans to ask UFC president Dana White to keep Dean out of his octagon debut. "No more Herb Dean ever," he said. Franklin also described tension on Team Bisping after he and Akylbek Uulu were matched against each other. Bisping reportedly told the fighters to stop acting weak when they struggled to train together before the bout.

Reported via:

• MMA Fighting — TUF 34’s Xavier Franklin calls Herb Dean a ‘lying bastard’ after controversial fight restart