Dustin Poirier calls out ‘flop’ in bizarre TUF 34 Finale DQ

The TUF 34 bantamweight finale ended in disqualification when Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu's opponent Mehemmedali Osmanli landed an illegal knee to a grounded opponent at 2:19 of round one, crowning Uulu the season champion. However, Dustin Poirier questioned the legitimacy of Uulu's reaction to the foul during a breakdown on the "Deep Water" podcast alongside Jorge Masvidal and Chris Weidman.

Reviewing the sequence, Poirier noted that Uulu appeared to reach for a single-leg takedown before the referee stopped the action. Poirier claimed Uulu's reaction to the illegal strike changed noticeably once he realized the fight was being stopped, suggesting an exaggerated response. "When he's about to build up on a single leg, his brain starts working and he's like, 'Oh, I just won The Ultimate Fighter if I flop,' and he flopped," Poirier said, comparing the moment to an award-show performance. Masvidal agreed with Poirier's assessment, while Weidman remained neutral on whether Uulu embellished the impact. Osmanli has similarly accused Uulu of exaggerating the effects of the illegal knee.