Herb Dean in action during a UFC fight. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC
Herb Dean has once again drawn attention after being involved in another refereeing controversy. After being blamed for Alex Poatan 's loss at UFC Casa Branca and for Michel Pereira 's dismissal following his defeat at UFC Baku , the referee was once again involved in a controversial result. This time, in the semi-final of the 34th season of TUF.
In the 10th episode of the season, shown last Tuesday (11), on Paramount+, Xavier Franklin faced Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu in a duel that was worth a place in the final of the reality show.
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The fight was going smoothly with the Uzbek fighter dominating until, in the final minute, the American landed a poke to the eye that caused his opponent to flinch and abandon his defense. Following this, Franklin landed a powerful straight punch that knocked Akylbek Uulu to the ground, prompting Herb Dean to stop the fight.
Watch the moment of the controversy.
Herb dean is horrible pic.twitter.com/3XRRb5qQ5G
— Walker Texas Ranger (@Walkerbigfan) August 11, 2026
The decision, however, caused great confusion among the fighters, team members, and even Dana White. The referee reviewed the incident on video, which confirmed the finger poke, and reversed the stoppage. As a result, the fight was restarted with the remaining 50 seconds. The situation surprised Dana White, who stated he had never witnessed anything like it.
After the final bell, Franklin, who had seemingly knocked out Akylbek Uulu before the review, was ultimately defeated by unanimous decision of the judges.
Fighter explains Herb Dean's confusion in controversy.
In an interview with 'MMA Fighting', Xavier Franklin explained his version of the incident and pointed to a communication breakdown by Herb Dean during the controversy.
“I think I landed a right hook or something, hurt him, and he was really shaken… Then I went for something like a slap, but my hand stayed on his head. Then I pulled my hand down, and that’s when the right came, and I hit him. Then I looked at Herb Dean, it was quick, but in my head it seemed to be happening in slow motion, and he said, ‘I didn’t see any finger poke. Keep going.’ That’s when I hit him again,” Franklin said.
“I didn’t want to hit him because I thought, ‘Damn, man.’ I didn’t poke him, and Herb Dean was saying, ‘I didn’t see any poke,’ so I just went for it. Then Herb Dean came between us and said, ‘There was no poke, you need to keep fighting.’ That’s why I ran back at him. I thought, ‘Oh, shit, I need to hit him again. I need to finish the fight.’ And then Herb Dean said, ‘It’s over. The fight is over,’” the fighter concluded.
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