Friday’s pivotal NBA Finals game between the hometown Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets didn’t end well for fans of the league’s South Florida franchise but it was far worse for Heat team mascot Burnie who ended up in the hospital after being on the receiving end of a sledgehammer left hook from boxing great Conor McGregor.
The incident went down during halftime at the Kaseya Center in Miami when the former UFC champ was brought out to announce that his TIDL Sport body spray was now an official sponsor of the Heat franchise, drawing boos from the crowd that became even more hostile to the 34-year-old southpaw after he coldcocked their beloved mascot.
In a viral video of McGregor’s latest knockout, Burnie is seen dancing into the frame wearing oversized gold boxing gloves and looking for a fight, perhaps the ex- champ’s fighting ring instincts just took over during the planned bit but he didn’t pull the punch, delivering a punishing blow to the head of the person in the mascot suit who went down like the proverbial ton of bricks after which McGregor than delivered another savage blow as Burnie laid on the hardwood court.
Footage from the blow that sent poor Burnie to the ER was captured from multiple angles and posted to Twitter.
During Game 4 of Heat-Nuggets, Conor McGregor punched Burnie — Miami’s mascot — as part of a promotion for McGregor’s pain relief spray.
The hit actually sent the man who plays Burnie to the ER, per @sam_amick.
He’s since been released.pic.twitter.com/AITQnJscrz
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) June 10, 2023
Conor McGregor knocking out the Miami Heat mascot is the best thing you’ll see today.. pic.twitter.com/t5UwJxlRo6
— Matt Couch (@RealMattCouch) June 10, 2023
According to a report from The Athletic, the man who plays Burnie was “given pain medication by the doctor and has since been sent home and is doing well.”
Despite being booed, the flamboyant Irishman stayed for the entire game and departed the venue with his entourage after the final buzzer. He hasn’t fought since at UFC 264 in a July 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier during which he suffered a broken leg but is scheduled to match up against Michael Chandler later this year.
UFC President Dana White weighed in on McGregor’s KO of Bernie.
“I saw the Deontay Wilder one, too,” he said, referring to the former heavyweight boxing champ’s blasting of a mascot for ESPN Nacion. “What’s up with mascots wanting to get punched in the face by professional fighters?”
When Deontay Wilder forgot a person is inside a mascot costume pic.twitter.com/MO92jO0RTB
— Hassan (@TherealHassanO) June 10, 2023
“What do you expect? I mean, what are those mascot things made out of? Unless you’re like, the Golden Knights mascot — I don’t even know what he wears, but I’m assuming it’s a metal helmet — I wouldn’t have professional fighters punching me in the face if I was a mascot. Doesn’t seem like the brightest thing in the world,” White added.
The Heat, a surprise entry in the NBA’s championship series, went on to lose Game 4 to the Nuggets by a score of 108-95, falling victim to a lights-out performance by Denver power forward Aaron Gordon whose 27 points put Miami on the brink of elimination and headed to the Mile High City on Monday.
The Nuggets will look to win their first title by closing out their Eastern Conference opponent but Miami has been amazingly resilient this postseason and shouldn’t be counted out yet, although taking three in a row is a seriously tall order.
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Chris Donaldson is an ordinary American who is concerned about rampant corruption as well as the ongoing attacks on our way of life by those who have contempt for our hard-earned freedoms. A Navy veteran, he has been a frequent contributor to conservative websites and resides in Florida.
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