Confusion surrounds Herb Dean's stoppage in The Ultimate Fighter 34 fight

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MAY 12: (L-R) Referee Herb Dean signals for a replay after Ilimbek Uulu is poked in the eye by Xavier Franklin in their bantamweight fight during the filming of The Ultimate Fighter Season 34 at Meta APEX on May 12, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Herb Dean is causing controversy once again. The veteran referee, who has come under fire multiple times in recent years for various in-cage errors, is now muddying up the waters on the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter. This week’s episode of TUF 34 saw Team Michael Bisping fighters Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu and Xavier Franklin face off for a chance to be part of the bantamweight tournament final. The matchup was already a strange one due to Akylbek Uulu and Franklin forming a close bond during their time on the show, but any pre-fight drama was overshadowed by Dean’s bizarre handling of the fight itself. In the final minute of a close contest, Franklin appeared to stun Akylbek Uulu and then finish him with a hard right punch that prompted Dean to step in and stop the fight. Dean can clearly be heard telling Akylbek Uulu “You’re done, stop.” However, Akylbek Uulu protested the stoppage, claiming he was the victim of an eye poke, so Dean called for a video review. Cageside, Bisping, Daniel Cormier, and UFC CEO Dana White discussed the sequence, and a commissioner then asked Dean if it’s possible to restart the fight, to which Dean replied, “I can. I called time.” After Akylbek Uulu was given time to recover, the bout resumed with :50 remaining on the clock. He went on to win a decision, with his solid wrestling control giving him the first two rounds, meaning Franklin needed a finish in the third to take the fight. Though Bisping coached both fighters on the show, he sympathized with Franklin having to deal with the confusing finish. “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. We’re like, ‘Wow, he did it.’ “Xavier did it. He pulled it out the back. He got the third-round stoppage. Wow. Unbelievable. But then they look at the slow-motion replay and they say that he was poked in the eye. Whether he was or whether he wasn’t, I’m not disputing that. Whether he was or whether he wasn’t, I’m not disputing that. Xavier finished him. He finished him with a right hand, and the rule is defend yourself at all times.” While it looks as though Franklin had his hand open as he pawed at Akylbek Uulu’s face, it’s unclear if there was an actual poke. Regardless, viewers were highly critical of Dean’s shaky handling of the situation. Latest episode of TUF this season. More fuel to the fire that Herb Dean is WASHED. Total chaos in another fight he can't be decisive or take control of. I love Dana White referring to Dean as "the ref". Why did "the ref" stop it? What a mess. — Fight Ghost (@Fight_Ghost) August 11, 2026 Herb fucking Dean doing another "gold standard" bit of refereeing on TUF. Calls the fight off – it's a TKO, but the guy who got TKOed said it was an eyepoke – so he checks, it was…and he restarts the fight. I guess because its TUF you just do whatever then. — DSP's Confused, Slow, Low IQ Armenian Posh Boy (@ThisIsNotDSP) August 11, 2026 #TUF34…Herb Dean needs to retire. This shit genuinely cannot go on any longer. There needs to be a complete overhaul of referees in this sport as a matter of fact. — Cameron (@zs_cameron) August 11, 2026 #TUF34 E10 SPOILERS Very controversial end to the fight, I don't know what's been happening in these Xavier Franklin fights cause somehow bro always manages to put up a controversial stoppage. Herb Dean just keeps giving people reasons to not want him refereeing anymore. After… — RedMMA (@RedSmokeLLM) August 11, 2026 I can’t defend Herb Dean anymore after this TUF episode. Dude has completely lost it as a ref. — DONQ (@Storm9O) August 11, 2026 In the end, Akylbek Uulu advances to the TUF 34 bantamweight final where he will fight either Team Cormier’s Christian Strong or fellow Team Bisping fighter Mehemmedeli Osmanli.