Xavier Franklin believes he won his fight on The Ultimate Fighter 34, and he holds referee Herb Dean responsible for the fact that he didn’t. Speaking to MMA Fighting, Franklin called Dean a “lying bastard” over the restart that wiped out his third-round stoppage.
The bantamweight matchup pitted Franklin against Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu, both members of Team Michael Bisping, for a place in the TUF 34 final.
How The Sequence Unfolded
In the closing minute, Franklin appeared to stun Akylbek Uulu and followed with a hard right hand. Dean stepped in and waved the fight off.
Akylbek Uulu protested that he had been poked in the eye. Dean called for a replay and consulted with a commissioner, who asked whether the bout could continue. Dean then confirmed he had only called time rather than officially ending it.
The fight restarted with 50 seconds remaining. Akylbek Uulu took the decision on the back of two rounds of wrestling control and advanced to the bantamweight final, where he meets either Christian Strong or Mehemmedeli Osmanli.
Replays showed Franklin’s hand open as he pawed at his opponent’s face. Whether it actually landed on the eye is still unclear.
Bisping Sided With His Fighter
Coaching both men put Bisping in an awkward spot, and he didn’t hedge.
“Xavier finished him. He finished him with a right hand, and the rule is defend yourself at all times,” Bisping said.
He also described watching the stoppage land and then evaporate. “It looks like Ilimbek’s going to go down and then he goes, ‘Something’s wrong with my eye.’ Herb Dean says nothing, Xavier carries on, boom. Big right hand, Herb Dean steps in, stops the fight, the fight is over.”
Franklin needed the finish. Down two rounds, the restart left him 50 seconds to find something he never got.
Dean has absorbed heavy criticism over the past year. He was at the center of Alex Pereira’s appeal after the UFC White House event, drew fresh scrutiny at UFC Fight Night 280 in Baku, and was criticized for a late stoppage in King Green’s win at UFC Mexico.
Dana White has repeatedly declined to weigh in, calling the matter one for the commission.
