The crowd were not impressed
Conor McGregor hospitalised a basketball mascot after ‘ko’ing’ them with two punches to the head.
The former two-division UFC champion was at Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets Nuggets at Kaseya Center on Friday night to announce that his TIDL Sport body spray is now an official sponsor of the Miami franchise.
But it didn’t sound like the Heat fans were too happy to see McGregor plugging his product whilst they were losing in the crucial game.
As he appeared on court to make the announcement about his body spray, he was booed by fans.
And things then got even weird when he decided to attack Miami Heat mascot ‘Burnie’. In fairness, Bernie was asking for a scrap, wearing gold boxing gloves and clearly laying down the gauntlet to the Irishman.
So McGregor duly obliged, and caught the eagle with a vicious left-hook. When Burnie fell to floor, McGregor then stood over them and landed a punch straight on the mascot’s face.
This second punch in particular didn’t seem to please the home fans, who booed again.
Worse for wear, Bernie was then dragged from the court by his legs.
Although the moment was obviously staged and planned, things clearly went a bit too far as the mascot had to be taken to hospital for injuries sustained because of McGregor’s punch.
According to The Athletic, a league source confirmed the man in the costume was taken to the emergency room at a nearby hospital to receive treatment.
After being given pain medication, he was sent home to rest and is said to be “doing well”.
The moment was reminiscent of when Deontay Wilder broke a mascot’s jaw with a single punch during a television appearance in 2018.
Things didn’t get much better for Burnie of the Heat fans, with their side losing 108-95 to the Nuggets, who lead the best-of-seven series 3-1.
McGregor hasn’t fought since he broke his leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021, but is due to take on Michael Chandler in his return bout later this year.
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