Xavier Franklin Blasts Herb Dean After 5-Minute TUF 34 Restart Costs Him Final

Q: How exactly did coach Michael Bisping react backstage after Herb Dean's unprecedented timeout call completely derailed his fighter's momentum?

Bisping was described as “furious” backstage, and his anger centered on the belief that Franklin had already earned a stoppage before Herb Dean changed the ruling to a timeout. Franklin said Bisping felt the fight should have been over the moment Dean stepped in, especially because Franklin had landed the follow-up right hand after Akylbek Uulu complained about his eye. In Bisping’s view, that sequence amounted to a legitimate finish and the restart unfairly erased it. Bisping also voiced that position on the broadcast. He said Dean had effectively stopped the fight, that Franklin had “pulled it out the bag” with a third-round stoppage, and that regardless of whether there had been an eye poke, Franklin still finished his opponent with the right hand. He added that the standard is to “defend yourself at all times,” making clear he did not think the reset was justified. What is not detailed in the available reporting is any precise backstage outburst, such as specific words, actions, or confrontation beyond Franklin’s account that Bisping was extremely upset and that the incident fueled a tense post-fight dispute. So the clearest factual answer is that Bisping reacted with visible fury and strongly argued Franklin had been robbed by a confused officiating reversal.

1 articles · Updated · MMA Fighting · Aug 13

Xavier Franklin said Herb Dean’s handling of his TUF 34 semifinal cost him a finals berth after Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu won a decision following a disputed restart.
Less than 1 minute remained when Dean stepped in during Franklin’s late surge, then went to replay over an alleged eye poke and later told officials he had called timeout, not a stoppage.
Franklin said Dean first told him there was no poke and to keep fighting, while the episode audio captured Dean saying, “You’re done, stop,” before a break Franklin estimated at at least 5 minutes.
That pause, Franklin said, drained his adrenaline and gave Akylbek Uulu time to recover before the fight went to the scorecards, with coach Michael Bisping also arguing the stoppage should not have been reversed.
The loss ends Franklin’s run after an earlier controversial quarterfinal win, while Akylbek Uulu joins Melissa Amaya as the first two fighters through to the TUF 34 finals.